AUSTIN, Texas — The Nets took a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter against the second-worst team in basketball and took an even stronger lead in overtime.
So what does that do for the Nets?
The Nets lost in overtime 120-115 on Sunday in front of a crowd of 16,057 at the Moody Center that included Nets team owner Joe Tsai.
Brooklyn (26-42) lost five of six on this harrowing road trip, which was not only the longest of the season, but the most damaging.
Victor Wembaneyama had 33 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 blocks for San Antonio. The Spurs are just 15-53, the worst team in the Western Conference, but they were the best team on the court Sunday night.
After a back-and-forth game, Mikal Bridges took the lead with a 3-point shot in overtime. But after both teams traded buckets, Wenbanyama’s layup cut the Nets’ lead to 115-114 with 2:27 left in overtime.
With this sloppy contrast, no one could score until Wembanyana’s alley-oop dunk with 38.2 seconds in OT put San Antonio ahead.
Dennis Schroder thought he had the Nets back in the lead just 13 seconds later, but he got out of shape on Wembang Yama and committed a goaltending violation.
However, the decision was overturned by the referee, and Brooklyn ended up trailing by one point.
Keldon Johnson’s driving layup with 20 seconds left gave the Spurs a 118-115 lead. The rest was academic after Cam Johnson missed a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left.
This game will be established as a total effort by the Nets. After leading 103-93 with 5:44 left in regulation, the Spurs went on a 17-7 run to end regulation and take the lead heading into the final minute of overtime.
Cam Thomas had 31 points and five assists for the Nets, marking a career high with five consecutive games of over 20 points. But that wasn’t enough. It’s not the way this team folds at the end of every game.
“Yeah, get stronger. I just believe in that,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said beforehand. “We need to have a stronger mindset of what we have to do, how to prepare, how to challenge, how to counterpunch. It needed to be done.”
Wembaneyama turned a midrange jumper into a finger roll and made a 9-foot layup over Johnson without leaving his feet.
Jumps like that are for ordinary people, but he is clearly extraordinary.
Johnson’s driving layup increased the Nets’ lead to 29-18 with 2:34 left in the first quarter. But that wasn’t a lead Brooklyn could hold. The Nets immediately went on a 9-0 run against the Spurs in the first and second quarters, cutting the lead to just two points. Eventually it disappeared completely, and the contest became extremely fierce.
There were 12 lead changes and 11 ties in regulation alone.
The Nets were clinging to a tight 89-86 situation when Wenbanyama took a break with 9 minutes, 29 seconds left in regulation.
It was still 96-93 when the Nets scored their next seven straight points. Dennis Schroder stole a pass from Zach Collins and fed Dayron Sharp for a dunk for a 103-93 cushion. This was the Nets’ largest lead since the start, but they were unable to protect it.
Despite leading by 10 points with 5:44 of regulation, the Nets trailed 17-4, helped by an imprudent flag foul when Sharpe tackled Jeremy Sochan. allowed a goal conceded. Wenbanyama then made back-to-back baskets, tip-ins and dunks to tie the game at 107-all.
San Antonio’s Johnson broke the deadlock with a jab-stepped right-corner 3-point shot, giving the Nets a 110-107 victory with 1:04 left in regulation. But Schröder tied it with 16.1 seconds left, and Claxton’s defense overcame Wenbanyama’s miss to tie the game and force overtime.
So the Nets were heartbroken.
