NBA

Robinson, Bulls deny Nets in 3OTs

LITTLE BIG MAN: The Bulls’ Nate Robinson leaps past Deron Williams for two of his 34 points as the former Knick led a comeback to deal the Nets a 142-134 triple-OT loss in Game 4 of their first-round series. (Reuters)

CHICAGO — When Gerald Wallace threw down an emphatic fast-break slam with 3:45 remaining yesterday to give the Nets a 14-point lead, it looked as if they were well on their way to a satisfying first-round series-tying victory over the Bulls.

Then Nate Robinson decided otherwise.

The diminutive guard turned into a human inferno, finishing with 34 points — including 29 in the fourth quarter and three overtime periods — to power the Bulls send the Nets to a stunning 142-134 loss in front of a sellout crowd of 21,758 at United Center.

“It was amazing,” Carlos Boozer said. “He put on a straight show out there … it was like he couldn’t miss. We just kept giving him the ball and let him do what he does.

“When he’s on like that, let him roll. And, boy, was he rolling.”

Robinson’s roll pushed the Nets to the brink of elimination, as they head back to Brooklyn for Game 5 tomorrow with the possibility of their season ending on their home floor.

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It was a shocking turn of events, especially after Wallace’s dunk seemed to cap off what had been, for the first 44 minutes and 15 seconds, an impressive bounce-back performance by the Nets after a pair of ugly losses in Games 2 and 3.

They moved the ball much better offensively, slicing through Chicago’s vaunted defense with ease and giving plenty of support to their big three of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez.

But that all vanished in those final few minutes of regulation, beginning with C.J. Watson whiffing on a wide-open fast-break dunk with 3:19 remaining that would have put the Nets up by 16 points.

“I knew I was going to dunk it,” Watson said. “I was just a little tired, but I still shouldn’t have missed it.”

He did, though, and while the Nets were missing four straight layups and a pair of shots over the next three minutes, Robinson carried the Bulls back into the game with 12 consecutive points to cut the Nets’ lead to 109-107 with 1:11 remaining, then forced the Nets into a five-second call and hit Boozer for a game-tying layup with 55.4 seconds to play.

The two teams then exchanged baskets, setting up Williams, who had 32 points and 10 assists — but only two points in the three overtimes — to be a hero at the buzzer. But after driving to the right side of the lane, his 10-foot jumper was just long, and Bulls guard Jimmy Butler came out of nowhere to block Wallace’s attempted putback at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime — for the first time.

“I couldn’t shoot it better,” said Williams, who played 57:54. “I thought that was in. It looked good, felt good. … It just rimmed out.”

The two teams went back and forth in the first overtime, with Robinson tying the game at 117 with 1:02 remaining and then going ahead on a Boozer layup with 26.3 seconds left — their first lead since the 7:52 mark of the third.

Just as it looked as if the Nets were done, though, they got a huge bucket from Joe Johnson, who drove past Luol Deng and drained a 10-footer to tie the game at 119 with 11.8 seconds remaining.

That, however, just set the stage for Robinson to make one of the more improbable shots of the season. With Deron Williams right in his face, Robinson started to drive to the basket, only to rise up and toss the ball toward the rim off one foot, only to watch it bank in with 2.0 seconds remaining to give the Bulls a 121-119 lead — and what seemed to be the win.

Johnson had other ideas, however, as he improved to 11-for-12 this season in late and close situations by catching the ball at the top of the key, driving past Deng and dropping in another floater at the buzzer to send the game to a second overtime.

“It was like a reset,” Johnson said of hitting both shots. “Now we get a restart.”

The two teams again went back and forth in the second overtime, with the Bulls getting the ball in the final seconds with a chance to close it out, only for Joakim Noah’s shot with less than a second left to be blocked by Brook Lopez.

The Nets finally gave out in the third overtime, though, as Chicago opened the third overtime with buckets by Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, to take a 135-130 lead with two minutes remaining. The Nets cut the deficit to 135-132 with 51.9 seconds left on a pair of free throws by Lopez, before Nazr Mohammed scored with 32.6 seconds left to put Chicago up 137-132 with 32 seconds left, and sending the Nets home with their season on the brink.

“We’ve got to find a way to get a win in our building and bring it back here Thursday [for Game 6],” interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “It’s one game. It’s as simple as that.”