Nolan Traore was the Brooklyn Nets' most efficient offensive player through three quarters of Saturday's matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. Then, he was benched for the fourth.

After scoring 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, Traore did not play during the final period of the Nets' 124-121 loss at State Farm Arena. Head coach Jordi Fernandez opted to roll with rookie point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the fourth. The Nets led 114-110 with two minutes remaining but struggled to execute on both ends in the clutch, allowing the Hawks to close on a 14-7 run to win the game.

Fernandez explained his reasoning behind benching Traore following the loss.

“Mikel had those five straight points, and I just let him roll. Because you cannot just keep taking them in and out,” the coach said. “I think that when I was about to sub Nolan in, Mikel made two or three threes and a mid-range pull-up. So I thought that was the right thing to do. Was it right? I don't know. Obviously, Nolan did very well. They scored 18 and 19 [points]. So that's a very good contribution from your two point guards.”

Traore was asked if Fernandez said anything to him about the benching during or after the game.

“No, he didn't say anything,” the Nets sophomore replied.

Traore and Brown have emerged as two of the Nets' most dynamic offensive threats in recent games. However, Fernandez has been unwilling to play the pair of 6-foot-4 guards together, likely because of defensive concerns.

Nets fall apart in final minutes during loss to Hawks with Nolan Traore on bench

Brooklyn Nets guard Nolan Traore (10) looks for the pass against Atlanta Hawks forward Zuby Ejiofor (20) during the first quarter at State Farm Arena.
Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

While Brown did his best to keep the Nets afloat down the stretch, Traore's absence hurt the team offensively. Brooklyn scored 26 points on 10-of-26 shooting with six assists and five turnovers in the fourth quarter. Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle combined for eight points on 3-of-10 shooting with two assists and two turnovers during the decisive period.

The Nets couldn't get stops or hold up on the defensive boards late, as the Hawks scored 36 fourth-quarter points on 11-of-24 shooting while attempting 16 free throws.

“We were not consistent enough to do the right things. And it’s not about making shots; it’s about trying to do the right things. Obviously, the points off turnovers [were an issue]. This is a team that will pressure you, and we had 22 turnovers for 28 points. That’s not acceptable. That’s where you lose the game,” Fernandez said.

Traore criticized the Nets' effort down the stretch.

“Our effort was not great. We didn’t do a lot of things. We didn’t pay attention to details. Offensively, a lot of random stuff. So I guess we were just not really focused anymore,” he said. “We had great looks in the first half, but in the second half, we played more random stuff, so we didn’t have the same quality shots. So that might be the main thing. I don’t think Atlanta did something that disturbed us. It was more just us doing random stuff.”

The Nets will need their lead duo of Porter and Randle to be better if they hope to snap out of their early-season struggles. While the duo combined for 44 points on 16-of-31 shooting, they combined for nine turnovers. Brooklyn committed 22 turnovers during the loss, leading to 28 Hawks points.

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Randle and Porter have combined for 57 turnovers and 56 assists this season.

The duo was involved in a critical late-game sequence. With the Nets trailing 115-114 with 1:15 remaining, Porter missed an open three. The rebound deflected out to Randle. However, instead of grabbing it, he slapped the ball out toward half court. The ball was deflected, and although Randle wound up closest to it, Nikeil Alexander-Walker outhustled him and went the other way for a layup.

Day'Ron Sharpe tallied the first triple-double of his career during the loss, posting 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. However, the Nets big man also committed a late-game gaffe. After Brown hit a three to give Brooklyn a 114-110 lead, Alexander-Walker missed a three. Sharpe grabbed the rebound, but Dyson Daniels stripped him, leading to an Onyeka Okongwu three.

The loss drops Brooklyn to 2-7. They'll travel to face the Dallas Mavericks during a back-to-back on Sunday. The Nets will be without Egor Demin (right leg bone bruise) and Mikel Brown Jr. (back injury management) during the road matchup.