The Nets couldn’t give Jordi Fernandez an upset over former team the Nuggets

On By Littum

For Jordi Fernandez, Tuesday was a chance to see the Denver team he cut his teeth with. But for his Nets, it was a chance to test themselves against champions.

They fell agonizingly short, blew a huge double-digit lead and fell, 144-139, in overtime before a sellout crowd of 17,926 at Barclays Center.

The Nets (1-2) played well enough to build a 17-point cushion, only to see a pair of misses from Dorian Finney-Smith leave the door open and MVP Nikola Jokic come through in overtime.

Nikola Jokic, who scored 29 points, grabs a rebound during the Nets’ 144-139 overtime loss to the Nuggets on Oct. 29, 2024. Corey Sipkin for the New York Post

After Finney-Smith missed a key free throw that let Jokic tie it on a hook shot with 8.8 seconds left in regulation, he missed a potential game-winning corner 3 to send Brooklyn to the extra stanza.

That’s where the Nets lost it, watching Cam Thomas score first, but then cough up eight unanswered points and never recover.

They head to Memphis to finish off a back-to-back on Wednesday and wonder how they lost this one.

One answer was Jokic. The star had 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists, joining Oscar Robertson as the only players to ever post those numbers.

Being on the wrong end of a 47-27 deficit in free throws might be the other.

“We played extremely hard. I’m very proud of the guys,” Fernandez said. “Obviously the free throws were a problem. They’re going to be a problem. We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing, but we will do better. The fact that we fought against a team like this means a lot to me for our group. The next step will help us break through.”

Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez, who was an assistant with the Nuggets for six years, gives instructions during the Nets’ overtime loss. Corey Sipkin for the New York Post

Thomas (26 points) had the first bucket of overtime, but the Nets coughed up an 8-0 run.

Jokic, who had four points, three boards and two assists in OT, nailed it on free throws.

He then added a put-back of his own miss, and after Thomas was blocked by Christian Braun, Jokic found Aaron Gordon (24 points) for a layup that left Brooklyn down, 131-127, with 3:09 left in overtime .

Jamal Murray, who scored 24 points, looks to shoot over Noah Clowney during the Nets’ overtime loss. Corey Sipkin for the New York Post

Thomas missed a jumper and Jamal Murray padded the Denver lead to six. The rest was anticlimactic.

Dennis Schroder had a team-high 28 points and 14 assists — his most as a net — shooting 10-of-18 overall and 5-of-11 from deep.

With seven scorers in double figures, Brooklyn had a balanced offense to shoot 51 percent and 20-of-52 from deep.

Cam Thomas, who scored 24 points, shoots over Jamal Murray during the Nets’ overtime loss. Corey Sipkin for the New York Post

The Nets dished out 37 assists to just nine turnovers, but seven of those came after the break as Denver adjusted its defense and the Nets jammed.

“We stopped pushing the tempo a little bit in the second half,” Thomas said. “The free throws, it does it every time. So those two, really. We fought hard. We had a big lead early on. We have to get close though.”

After the Nets built several 17-point leads — the latest 47-30 on a Ziaire Williams jumper with 9:42 left in the first half — the Nuggets put Jokic on Finney-Smith and Aaron Gordon on Nic Claxton in the second half, switching all picks -and roles.

Dennis Schroder, who scored 28 points, drives past Nikola Jokic during the Nets’ overtime loss. Corey Sipkin for the New York Post

Brooklyn still led, 99-93, after Claxton’s midrange jumper with less than a minute left in the third before cashing in on a 13-2 run that spanned the fourth to pull behind, 106-101.

The Nets didn’t fold and answered with eight unanswered of their own to go up, 109-106.

Thomas hit a hard turnaround against Braun for a 124-121 edge with 33 seconds left in regulation.

Ziaire Williams, who scored 18 points off the bench, slams a home run during the Nets’ overtime loss. Corey Sipkin for the New York Post

But Jokic scored on a put-back and Finney-Smith made only one of two free throws, so the door was cracked.

Denver kicked it in, with Jokic getting in position for a 5-foot hook shot with 8.8 seconds left in regulation.

Finney-Smith’s missed corner 3 relegated the Nets to OT, where they lost.

“I have to make the free throw,” Finney-Smith said.

Of the missed look at the end of regulation, he said: “Coach called a play for Dennis. He put me in the corner when he knew (Jokic) was going to help, and he got me a corner 3. I’ll take it ( see) any day of the week.”