As endgame implosions go, this one was pretty epic.
The Nets turned their first potential win without Michael Porter Jr. into a heartbreaker.
They turned a come-from-behind rally into a collapse.
And when it was over — when they had gotten the final 13 points of the game — Brooklyn was coming off a 103-98 loss to Memphis on Sunday in front of 15,578 fans at FedExForum.
Along with the latest reminder that this young team—rebounding 54-43, and unable to buy a board when it needed one—still doesn’t know how to win.
Or how to hold on to a win they put in all the hard work for.
“It comes with responsibility, responsibility to shoot when you’re open, responsibility to box out when you have to,” Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernández said. “Obviously the 19 second chance points (allowed) again don’t win if we don’t rebound.
“We were the No. 1 defensive rebounding team for a number of games even though we had the best defense. And now we’re not rebounding and we’re not winning games. So we have to keep learning. We have to get 1 percent better every day and hold the guys accountable, but also support them because good things were done (Sunday night).”
That’s what will likely irritate the Nets (11-24) so much. They were just a few plays away from a feel-good win. And their first win of the season without Porter.
Instead, without their offensive catalyst, they fell to 0-7 – falling for the third straight game, and sixth in their past seven.
After limping out of the gate, Brooklyn fought back from a 16-point deficit to take a 98-90 lead with three minutes to play. But those last 180 seconds turned into a nightmare.
The Nets allowed Memphis – playing without Ja Morant, seemingly injured but really on the trading block – to close out the game on a 13-0 run. Brooklyn went 0-for-5, including 0-for-4 from deep, with a goal in those final, fateful three minutes.
Noah Clowney tried to come forward while Porter rested. He tied Tyrese Martin for team-high honors with 17 points. After stealing the ball from Cam Spencer at the top of the key and hitting a subsequent free throw at the other end to cap off a 19-5 Brooklyn blitz, the Nets had a 98-90 cushion with three minutes to play.
But they couldn’t hold it. The Nets coughed up the final 13 points as they left the floor freezing. Clowney missed three three-point attempts down the stretch, finishing the night just 4-of-17 overall and 4-of-15 from deep.
“Yes, we need him to be aggressive because a shot (is better than a turnover),” Fernández said. “We only turned it over ten times against a team that generates more turnovers, so we won that battle, especially the points-to-turnover battle.
“I know Noah out of the 15, every time he shoots them, I believe he’s going in. And we need him to be aggressive. So I’m really happy with how he played on both ends and how he responded with the group there in the second half.”
The second half was so close to a breakthrough. Brooklyn hit 10 three-pointers after the break, but went 0-for-4 from deep in the stretch.
And after harassing the Grizzlies by missing 11 of their first 12 three-point attempts in the second half, Brooklyn let them hit three of five in that endgame.
After an early 7-6 lead, the Nets coughed up a 19-4 run, including a pair of Clowney airballs. They trailed just 17-11 when they gave up 10 unanswered points, trailing by 16 after a Santi Aldama 3-pointer.
The Nets kept Jaren Jackson Jr. on 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting. His bucket left Brooklyn up 87-84 with 8:21 left before they reeled off seven unanswered to seize the lead.
Cam Thomas’ fadeaway baseline from 18 feet over Aldama made it 91-87. And the point reached 14-3 for an eight-point cushion.
It was one they couldn’t hold on to.
Brooklyn is fifth in the lottery standings, 1 ½ games behind the fourth-place Wizards (pending their game in Phoenix) and a game ahead of inactive Utah.
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