Brooklyn Nets close out Charlotte after fixing late-game collapse
The squad shot 51.2 percent in the final period to secure a 114-104 win over the Hornets.
By Tomas Gonzalez ·
Brooklyn Nets fans saw a familiar pattern two nights ago when the team blew a lead in the final minutes of a game against the Charlotte Hornets. Monday night, the same visitors returned to the Garden, but this time the home team held its ground. The Nets won 114-104, putting an end to a sequence of fourth-quarter struggles that had cost them recent games.
The difference in execution came in the closing minutes. In the loss on Monday, the Nets allowed a 25-5 run to start the fourth quarter. They shot just 3 of 16 from the field and turned the ball over seven times during that stretch. On Wednesday, the numbers flipped. The team outscored Charlotte 34-24 in the final period. They shot 51.2 percent from the field and converted 8 of 22 three-point attempts.
Michael Porter Jr. led the effort with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Julius Randle contributed 22 points, while rookie Mikel Brown Jr. set a career high with 18 points and four assists off the bench. Day'Ron Sharpe recorded a career-best eight assists. The team also forced six straight misses and a turnover to open the game.
The contest was not one-sided. The Hornets rallied from an early deficit to take a 10-point lead at the end of the first half on a three-pointer by Grayson Allen. Brooklyn trailed 59-50 with one minute left in the third quarter. A 11-point run by the Nets, capped by a three-pointer from Danny Wolf, put them ahead 61-59. Charlotte regained the lead, but the Nets answered with a 17-5 run that crossed the quarter break. A three-pointer from Brown, off a Randle pass, gave Brooklyn an 89-83 advantage.
Head coach Jordi Fernández pointed to the consistency across the last three games as a sign of progress. “I think that that was who we want to be,” Fernández said. “And obviously the not being organized in the fourth offensively and the turnovers and the lack of execution, we just worked on it.” He noted that the team watched the film, identified the issues, and moved forward.
Porter emphasized the mental shift required in the final minutes. “The fourth quarter is a completely different game than three quarters prior and you have to really [focus],” Porter said. The veteran players stressed the need to maintain intensity when the game is on the line. The win improved the team's standing after a tough start to the season.
