Nets figuring out how to fix fourth-quarter woes hampering offense

NEW ORLEANS — The Nets’ road trip will end Monday night against the Pelicans, but the lessons from the first two games on this trek will linger a while. Losses to the Celtics and Cavaliers came after the Nets gave back fourth-quarter leads. But inconsistent fourth-quarter play has lingered since losing to the Hawks in the season opener.

That game saw the Nets tied through three quarters and down by 10 just before the middle of the fourth. A loss to the Nuggets in overtime came after the Nets let them hang around and catch them with timely baskets from Nikola Jokic to end regulation.

“Every game we’ve lost, you can kind of point to that,” Cam Johnson said about not executing for four quarters. “So back to the drawing board. It’s not immediate, like I keep saying, and it’s going to take a lot of focus, a lot of effort and a lot of trust in each other, but I’m confident that we can take that next step.”

For starters, the Nets have to make shots down the stretch. Against the Celtics last Friday, they shot 1-for-10 in the final 6:16 of regulation when an 88-82 lead was erased and Boston rallied to send the game into overtime.

The same thing happened 24 hours later. While the Cavaliers went on a 16-4 closing run in the final 4:24, the Nets shot 1-for-6 and turned the ball over three times.

Johnson said both opponents had better chemistry on both ends from playing with each other longer. That familiarity leads to trust on offense and knowing where to be to create good looks.

His teammates agreed.

“You look at a Cleveland or Boston, they have a lot of experience, especially their cores together,” Nic Claxton said after shootaround Monday. “So just finding those sets down the stretch, having enough energy, and everybody being on the same page.”

It starts with Dennis Schroder, who took the blame for not setting up his teammates better. There were two possessions Saturday, he said, where he gave the ball to Claxton in the wrong spot and one led to a turnover.

Since Ben Simmons has yet to close games, it’s on Schroder as the primary ballhandler to make things easier down the stretch. And he knows it.

“At the end of the day, I’ve just got to make sure I keep the ball in my hands], organize everybody, and then execute it,” Schroder said. “And, yeah, I think then we’re going to have better results.”

It’s all part of the learning process for this Nets crew. Coach Jordi Fernandez blamed himself for mismanaging his substitution patterns Saturday.

But closing time is what separates great teams from good ones. The Nets showed they can execute in the fourth quarter by doing so in beating the Grizzlies twice and pulling out a win against the Bulls.

Now it’s a matter of being consistent with late-game execution, especially with a tough schedule this week. The Nets host the Celtics Wednesday before facing the Knicks twice.

“It’s not going to be perfect. It’s not going to be overnight, but we have to stick with it,” Johnson said. “We have to keep kind of chasing that goal, and not dropping our heads.”

Williams’ hand goes cold

Ziaire Williams’ hot shooting start has cooled off considerably since the calendar flipped to November

Williams hadn’t made a three-pointer this month entering Monday’s game. He’s 0-for-12 in the Nets’ five November games and 1-for-16 over the last six contests since a career high-tying four threes on Oct. 29. “A lot of great misses, man,” Williams said at shootaround. “In and out . . . still shooting the same way. So no, they’ll average out.”

Williams has found other ways to contribute. He set a career high with 12 rebounds against the Celtics Friday and tied his career high with four offensive rebounds.

But the shooting that appeared to turn a corner from his days in Memphis has regressed. Williams isn’t worried, though, chalking it up to the normal ebbs and flows of a season.

“You can’t really control makes and misses, right?” he said. “Just control your prep and how it feels, and they all feel great. So that’s all I can ask for.

Finney-Smith out with sprained ankle

Dorian Finney-Smith was ruled out Monday due to a left ankle sprain. Fernandez said before the game that Finney-Smith's ankle felt sore after shootaround and while "it's not super concerning", the team chose to be cautious. His status is undetermined for Wednesday's game against the Celtics.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.