Nets collapse over final minutes after hanging tough in loss to Raptors

The Nets proved they could trade buckets with the Raptors.

But they also showed they couldn’t get a stop when they needed one.

After forcing six straight ties, the Nets never got over the hump.

And they finally broke, allowing 10 unanswered points in the waning moments of a 119-109 loss before a crowd of 18,038 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night.

Same teams. Same score.

The Nets had lost by an identical scoreline to the Raptors at Barclays Center on Nov. 11.

This time they actually performed much better on the road.

But not quite good enough, showing they could compete but not win.

With the score knotted at 104-104 — after six straight ties — with under four minutes left, Brooklyn conceded a 10-0 run that decided it.

But from the perspective of Nets coach Jordi Fernández, his team squandered it by coming out flat from the start.

They allowed the first dozen points of the game, first five points of the second half, and had to waste too much energy chasing the game.

“It started with our intentions from the beginning, right? We were not ready to play. If you’re picking and choosing, then basketball gods go, ‘Everything gets in the right place,’ ” said Fernández. “It’s just a matter of our starting unit started 12-0 in the first quarter and 5-0 in the third quarter.

“So to start the first half, in the second half we’re minus-17. And I trust those guys, and those guys have done a great job. We battled back and we were fighting for the game. But if you put yourself in that situation, it’s just really hard. We came out flat with no energy and it’s not the way you want to start games.”

The Nets (3-13) sit fourth in the lottery standings, a half-game ahead of Charlotte and Sacramento.

They’re a full game behind third-place Indiana, which is 2-14.

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Tyrese Martin had a game-high 26 points off the bench, the second-highest scoring game of his career. Michael Porter Jr. had 25 points and six rebounds, and Noah Clowney added 22.

RJ Barrett exited the game with a right knee sprain and didn’t return for Toronto.

But Scottie Barnes had 17, and Immanuel Quickley (13 points, seven rebounds) had back-to-back huge 3-pointers in that 10-0 Raptors run.

The Nets were trailing 70-58 early in the third quarter after Brandon Ingram drilled a 3-pointer off a Sandro Mamukelashvili feed.

But they responded with a 15-4 run, including the last six to pull within a point.

Porter’s free throw pulled Brooklyn within 74-73 with 4:50 left in the third.

Moments after Porter hit a high-difficulty 3-pointer over not one, but two defenders, the Nets finally pulled even.

But never ahead.

Brooklyn, which had never held a lead, tied the contest six straight times, several of them with Fernández stealing minutes with Porter resting on the bench.

At 94-all on Martin’s 3-pointer.

At 96-all on Clowney’s free throw with 8:30 left.

At 98-all on Martin’s foul shot 50 seconds later.

At 100-all on another Clowney free throw.

At 102-all on Nic Claxton’s layup.

And finally, once Porter checked back in with 4:33 to play, the veteran had a tip-in just nine seconds later to knot it at 104-all.

But after the Raptors went back ahead on Jamal Shead’s free throws, this time the Nets couldn’t keep pace.

They allowed 10 unanswered to finally lose touch.

Egor Dëmin missed a 3-pointer, and after Claxton grabbed the offensive rebound, missed from inside.

Shead found Quickley out of a trap, and the former Knick drilled a dagger 3-pointer for a 109-104 lead.

Then Quickley hit another 3-pointer off a Brandon Ingram feed with 2:20 left.

That was essentially the nail in the coffin for the Nets.