The Nets lost again Tuesday night.
They played poorly again in the fourth quarter, dropping a game in which they led in that final quarter, outplayed thoroughly by the Celtics in a 113-99 defeat at Barclays Center.
Despite the latest loss, Jordi Fernández was left mostly optimistic, especially compared to where his team was a couple of weeks ago, when they were routinely getting blown out.
“Playing this competitive brand of basketball against a very competitive team is important,’’ Fernández said. “I wasn’t happy with the way we were competing a few games ago and now for four straight games, we’ve played competitively.”
Just not well enough to win.
That’s even after opening an early nine-point lead against Boston and going up on a Michael Porter Jr. 3-pointer with 9:06 left in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics responded with an 18-3 run, led by Jaylen Brown, to put the game away.
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Not only did the defeat drop the Nets to 2-12 on the season, it also dropped them to 0-7 in Brooklyn, matching the longest home losing streak in franchise history, previously set in the 2009-10 season.
That ugly year landed the Nets the third pick in the NBA draft and they ended up with Derrick Favors.
They’re hoping for a more impactful player this time around, as they tank for a second straight year, with only the Pacers and Wizards entering Tuesday with fewer wins than the Nets.
Still, rather than slamming themselves for another rough final quarter, Fernández and Porter pointed to the growing pains this team expected.
“I think we’ve got a young team and we’re newly playing together,’’ Porter said. “And they’ve been in so many situations in the fourth quarter as a group. They knew how to execute down the stretch and we’re still figuring that out. We’ve got to get organized and get on the same page.”
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They played fast in the first half, shooting well from 3-point range and running well, as the Nets outscored the Celtics 22-0 in fast break points before halftime.
But they scored just two points after the half on the break, plagued by fouls and missed shots.
“When it tightens up, you’ve got to play a different style of basketball game,’’ Porter said. “There’s not as many easy looks. We’re still learning. We’re young. We’ll get there. It’s just experience.”
Fernández praised the play of the second unit, which helped the Nets get back in the game after Boston opened up an 11-point lead midway through the third.
Day’Ron Sharpe scored six consecutive points as they closed to within a point at the end of the quarter before Porter gave them their final lead of the game.
Egor Dëmin, who put up 12 points — with four 3-pointers in the first half — didn’t score in the second and struggled defensively and Nic Claxton finished just 1-of-9 from the field.
Brown, who had 17 points in the third after being held to six in the first half and finished with a game-high 29 points.
And even without Jayson Tatum, out with a torn Achilles, and mostly rebuilding for the future, Boston had too much firepower for the Nets, having won three of their previous four games and seven of 11 after opening the season 0-3.
Derrick White’s 3-pointer after the Celtics gathered three consecutive offensive rebounds helped put the game away.
They face the Nets again in Boston on Friday and will try to put together two good halves as they try to learn not just how to play better, but to win.
