NEW YORK _ The Nets got an early start on Black Friday, tipping off shortly after noon at Barclays Center. But they didn't find the perfect gift they wanted _ a set of keys to closing out a close game.
After competitive losses against three-peat finalists Golden State and Cleveland, the Nets three-peated in the sense that they didn't do what they needed to do near the end for the third straight time.
This time, they turned over a six-point lead with 2:20 left against Portland and fell, 127-125.
Diary of a young team.
"I think that's the hardest thing in the NBA is to close games," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "We saw it the other night in Cleveland, played really well for three quarters and then ... There are great players on these other teams that are determined not to let you win, and I think that was a little bit the case (against Portland). They relied on their experience.
"But it's also a positive experience for us. We can look at this and say, 'How can we close games? What can we do better? How can we execute better? What can we do defensively differently to close out games?' "
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 17 for the Nets (6-12).
"None of the guys in the locker room play for moral victories," Dinwiddie said.
The Nets earned an actual victory at Portland on Nov. 10. But the Trail Blazers (11-8) feature a formidable backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum and a 7-foot tower in Jusuf Nurkic. Lillard had 34 points and nine assists. Nurkic posted 29 points and 15 rebounds. And McCollum contributed 26 points.
"We had to fight for it," Lillard said. "We were down down the stretch and obviously happy with the things that we had to do to make it happen."
Allen Crabbe scored on a floater against his old team at that 2:20 mark, giving the Nets a 121-115 lead. Then Lillard hit two from the line. Nurkic blocked Jarrett Allen's layup try, then went 1 for 2 from the line. Allen and Dinwiddie were stuffed inside by Lillard and Nurkic. McCollum drove for two to cut it to one, then blocked Crabbe's shot.
After Shabazz Napier drove for two more, got fouled by Dinwiddie and made it a three-point play with 55.5 seconds remaining, Portland owned a 123-121 edge.
Dinwiddie followed up on his own miss to tie it. Nurkic's reverse was blocked inside by DeMarre Carroll. Caris LeVert grabbed the ball. Nurkic stole it right back from him and turned it into another three-point play and a 126-123 advantage with 27.6 seconds left.
"I learn to never quit and there's no lost possession until the game is done," Nurkic said.
Dinwiddie countered with a layup, and it was down to one with 15.7 seconds left. McCollum went 1 for 2 from the line at 11.4, making it 127-125. Then Dinwiddie missed a right-side 3, watching it bounce twice off the rim.
"I felt like it was a good look," Dinwiddie said.
The home team looked good in the first quarter, shooting 60 percent on the way to taking a 32-23 lead.
But it shot 32 percent in the second quarter. At the break, the lead was down to 53-51.
At the end, the Nets were still looking for those keys to closing the door.
"We're still trying to figure it out," Crabbe said. "It's still early in the season. But at some point, I think it will turn the way we want it to go."
