NEW YORK _ As Yogi Berra famously said, it was deja vu all over again for the Nets, who blew a double-digit lead for the second time in as many games in a 101-91 loss to the Jazz on Wednesday night at Barclays Center. It marked a season-high four-game losing streak for the Nets.
The Nets built an 11-point lead near the end of the third period but saw the Jazz respond with a 15-4 run, including eight points from Royce O'Neale, whose jumper from right of the key tied the game at 82 with 7:06 left to play. Watching double-digit leads slip away in the fourth period has become an all-too-familiar scenario for the Nets, who blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead on Sunday against the 76ers.
The Jazz put a nose in front when Donovan Mitchell buried a 19-foot jumper to make it 86-84 at the 5:42 mark. The Nets briefly regained the lead and then Mitchell and Rudy Gobert took over down the stretch. Mitchell scored 10 points in an 15-4 Jazz run to end the game and Gobert had the other five in that span.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets (8-14) with 18 points in just 22 minutes, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 14 points and 11 rebounds, Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and D'Angelo Russell had 14 points but struggled through a 6-for-25 shooting night as the Nets converted only 34.9 percent of their shots. Mitchell topped the Jazz (10-12) with 29 points, and center Gobert was a force in the paint with 23 points and 16 rebounds.
The Nets came into the game having blown 20-point lead over the Sixers on Sunday after a home loss to the Timberwolves and a close road loss to the Mavericks on Thanksgiving Eve. "We're frustrated after those three tough losses," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "I think two of them we had a good shot of winning. The taste in your mouth isn't great."
They were facing a Jazz team that came in with a surprising losing record but they were playing their 14th road game out of 22 overall and were just starting a three-game road trip. Atkinson could sympathize.
"I know their record isn't great right now, but they've played the toughest schedule in the league," Atkinson said. "They've had a hellacious schedule. Repeat, hellacious. But when I watch it on film, I see the same (playoff) team I saw last year. I almost want to put a guarantee ... that team's going to turn it around. There's just no doubt. If they stay healthy, they're an excellent team."
The first half was a sluggish affair in which neither team led by more than four points and the Jazz shot 40.0 percent from the field on their way to a 43-42 lead while holding the Nets to an even worse 34.0 percent. Gobert was the most effective player on offense, making six of seven attempts at the rim in a 13-point first half. Dinwiddie, who tied his career-high with 31 points on Sunday, had a two-point first half after committing three fouls that limited him to just nine minutes.
In the third period, the Nets finally gained some traction with a 15-6 run powered by two 3-pointers from Joe Harris to gain a 62-56 lead, but that quickly dwindled to one point. Then, Dinwiddie entered and quickly put his first-half frustrations behind him, scoring every Nets point in an 11-4 surge that gave them their biggest lead of the game at 78-67 just before a 3 by O'Neale made it an eight-point game heading to the fourth quarter.
