Nets’ historic collapse vs. Hawks shines light on Michael Porter Jr.’s late-game shortcomings

There are late-game struggles, and then there are complete meltdowns. The Brooklyn Nets fell in the latter category during Sunday’s 115-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Jordi Fernandez’s squad appeared in control after taking a 102-91 lead with eight minutes remaining. The Hawks then outscored them 24-2 to close the game during the Nets’ ugliest collapse of the season.

Brooklyn shot 1-of-15 from the field with five turnovers during the game-deciding stretch.

“Unacceptable,” Fernandez said. “We played well, a very good brand of basketball, connected, defending, taking the lead as a team with the first and the second group… But we’ve got to find a better way to close games. I trust the starters. I know how good they are, and this is not what I want from them. We played a great game until 5:30 to go, and then it goes away. So, it’s tough because wins in the NBA matter. You have to play to compete and win, and it didn’t happen.”

Following solid starts, Brooklyn’s rookie backcourt of Nolan Traore and Egor Demin struggled significantly down the stretch. However, Sunday’s collapse shone a light on Michael Porter Jr.’s late-game shortcomings as the Nets’ No. 1 option.

Michael Porter Jr. disappears down the stretch during Nets’ ugly collapse vs. Hawks

Porter posted 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting with six assists and two turnovers through three quarters. However, he was invisible in the final frame, going scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting without an assist as rookies Demin and Traore handled most of Brooklyn’s on-ball responsibilities.

Meanwhile, Hawks star Jalen Johnson took over down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 26 points in the final frame on 6-of-8 shooting.

While Porter has kept the Nets’ offense afloat for extended stretches, he’s struggled as a closer. In 65 clutch minutes this season, the star forward has shot 12-of-38 (31.6 percent) from the field and 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) with two assists and four turnovers.

Porter’s limitations as a ball-handler and self-creator have been most glaring down the stretch of tight games, when defenses are the most engaged and primarily switching. Without a high-level shot creator alongside him, Brooklyn’s offense has sputtered when it matters most.

The Nets have posted the league’s worst clutch record (5-19) and second-worst clutch offensive rating (96.0).

Following encouraging early performances, Traore and Demin also fell apart down the stretch on Sunday. Through three quarters, Traore posted 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting with five assists and two turnovers. Demin had tallied 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting with four assists and zero turnovers.

However, the rookie duo combined to shoot 0-for-7 while committing four turnovers in the final frame.

“You go through the experience, and you learn,” Fernandez said of Traore and Demin’s late struggles. “Some of the rushed shots and turnovers… You gotta learn how to be composed. You gotta learn how to put everybody in [the right] place, how take good shots, and we just didn’t. So next game it is.”

While Sunday’s loss undoubtedly stung in Brooklyn’s locker room, it continued the team’s climb in a tightly contested tank race. Following four straight losses, the Nets have gained sole possession of third place in the draft lottery standings. They’re tied in the win column and two games back in the loss column of the Indiana Pacers, who sit in second.

If the season ended today, Brooklyn would have a 14.0 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick, a 52.1 percent chance of landing in the top four, and a 93.0 percent chance of being in the top six. The third lottery slot cannot drop lower than the seventh pick.

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