As implosions go, this one was impressive.
The Nets blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead, folding down the stretch in a 115-104 loss to Atlanta before a sellout crowd of 17,121 at State Farm Arena.
Brooklyn was cruising along up 102-91 with 6:45 left, but coughed up a 24-2 run to close out the collapse.
They went without a basket for the final 5:18, giving away turnover after turnover — and a win they seemed to have in the bag.
Granted, it would’ve been a Pyrrhic victory.
This result was far better in the long run — the race for the tank.
The Nets (15-41) are third in the lottery standings, just a half game behind second-place Indiana pending the Pacers’ tilt against Dallas.
Brooklyn moved more percentage points ahead of fourth-place New Orleans/Atlanta (16-42).
Brooklyn has dropped four straight games, and 14 of their last 15 on the road.
Michael Porter Jr. led six Nets in double figures and had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
But he was just 1-of-8 from 3-point range to extend his slump, now just 8-of-49 in his last half-dozen games.
Jalen Johnson had 26 points and a dozen rebounds for the Hawks, who had lost six of nine but got right in the fourth quarter against the Nets.
Brooklyn had reeled off 13 unanswered to go up 49-44 with 5:26 left in the first half.
They still led 83-79 after a Drake Powell free throw capped a 7-0 run with 3:54 left in the third.
But they coughed up the lead, conceding a 10-2 run that left them down 89-85.
Nets coach Jordi Fernandez called a timeout after CJ McCollum’s bucket, and the Nets steadied the ship.
They responded with ten unanswered points in a run that spanned into the fourth.
Rookie Nolan Traore (11 points, five assists) got into the lane again, and even though he missed Day’Ron Sharpe was there to clean up the putback for a 95-89 lead.
The Nets padded the cushion to 102-91 when Danny Wolf found Terance Mann for a 3-pointer with eight minutes to play.
But Brooklyn gave the game away.
They missed six straight shots and gave away a couple of turnovers in conceding a 6-0 Hawks run, watching their lead cut to five.
That set the tone.
The Nets let Atlanta score 24 of the last 26 points.
Johnson found McCollum for a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:28 to play, and never recovered.
Johnson’s and-one made it 108-104, and was the nail in the Nets’ coffin.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
