This could have been a night to talk about how the Nets overcame not only the absence of injured Vince Carter but also a double-digit deficit against the Hornets.
There might have been ample chance to chat up the explosive energy of Sean Williams. Or Nenad Krstic posting his first double-double of the year. Or Jason Kidd flirting with another triple-double. Or Richard Jefferson scoring a Net team season high 32 points.
Instead, the talk was of matters far more gloomy.
That’s what happens when you basically curl up into a fetal position for the final 4:25 and watch an 11-point lead, a lead that was so hard to get, dissolve into a bitter 84-82 home defeat.
“We made a couple of bonehead plays down the stretch that didn’t allow us to finish it out,” Jefferson said.
Even so, Antoine Wright, Carter’s understudy, tried an 18-footer at the buzzer to tie, but the shot hit the front of the rim.
“This one hurts,” said Wright, who finished with 12 points.
Jason Collins committed the most grievous sin down the stretch, turning over the ball then fouling New Orleans’ Morris Peterson, giving the Hornets a four-point play to tie the game at 82 with 1:00 left.
“I tried to make up for a mistake and ended up making another mistake,” Collins said with a sigh.
“We were up and in control of the game,” said Kidd (14 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds). “It just didn’t go our way.”
Coach Lawrence Frank took a hit for this one. After Peterson’s four-point play, Frank subbed Krstic back into the game for Williams, looking for experience over rookie energy. Instead, Krstic missed two free throws and a jumper in the last 42.6 seconds, before Chris Paul (27 points), who twice had been thwarted by Williams, drove for the game-winner with 2.6 seconds left.
“I can’t remember missing two free throws in the last minute,” said Krstic (12 points, 10 re bounds).
With Carter (sprained right ankle) in street clothes, the Nets shot horribly and the Hornets partied behind the 3-point line to lead by 12 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Nets arose, stymieing the Hornets into a 4-for-22 shooting famine that contained nine turnovers and led to a 79-68 Nets lead. Williams, who had six points, eight rebounds and four blocks, was in the middle of it.
“Sean kind of ignited our flurry,” Frank said.
An anti-flurry followed. The Nets ended the game shooting 1-for-8 from the floor, 1-for-4 from the line, and turning the ball over twice.
With the Nets up 82-78, Paul missed a drive, Collins rebounded, but Paul stole it back. Collins’ foul allowed Peterson to make his game-tying four-point play.
No matter. There still was time to win. As it turned out, there also was time to lose. Krstic was fouled with 42.6 seconds left and flubbed both free throws. But Kidd came from the balcony and grabbed the offensive rebound. Krstic tried a 10-footer with 18.9 to go. A miss. Paul, without Williams to worry about, drove on Kidd and Krstic for the winner.
Let the gloom begin.