Nets rally for thrilling win over Pelicans in gut-check performance

NEW ORLEANS – After heartbreakers in Boston and Cleveland, the Nets were staring at a gut check Monday night.

It turned out that their guts were fine.

The Nets flipped the script from their late blown leads and earned a 107-105, come-by-behind victory over the Pelicans before a sellout crowd of 16,895 at the Smoothie King Center.

“It was good just to finally win a fourth quarter,” said Cam Thomas, who scored 10 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter. “We gave up a lead in the third; they go on their run, then they went on another run early in the fourth, so we got down. But credit to the guys for staying calm, sticking together and making big shots when they needed to.”

Thomas made the biggest shot when the Nets needed it.

Down 105-101 with 1:16 left, the Nets closed with the final six points. They got a layup from Cam Johnson (15 points), a booming 3-pointer from Thomas with 32.9 seconds left in regulation — with coach Jordi Fernandez trying to call a timeout — and a pair of defensive stands to ensure that there was no overtime.

It made the ride back from Bourbon Street sweeter.

“It would have been a tough flight if we didn’t get this one,” said Ben Simmons, who had 12 assists off the bench. “It was important to end this road trip the right way.”

The road trip had been tough for the Nets (5-6).

They had lost in overtime on Friday at the defending champion Celtics, and then blew a fourth-quarter lead the next night against the Cavaliers, the league’s last undefeated.

But they got back on track on Monday. Button.

The Nets trailed by seven in the fourth quarter, and 105-101 after Brandon Boston Jr.’s dunk off a turnover by Ziaire Williams, who started for injured Dorian Finney-Smith. But Dennis Schroder (14 points) found Johnson for a running layup to cut the deficit in half with 1:15 left.

Then Thomas — not noticing his coach calling a timeout, but watching the clock and looking to get two possessions to New Orleans’ one — went for a step-back 3.

“That’s expected. … He’s just different. His mindset was different taking those shots,” Simmons said. “And we have a lot of faith and confidence that he’s going to make them.

“I told the guys if it gets to 37 (seconds) and we’re disorganized, I’m going to call it. And I saw us disorganized,” said Fernandez, who had witnessed late-game chaos cost them Saturday in Cleveland. “I called it, but CT, he did what he does: step-back 3. And the basketball gods (broke in) because I really called timeout.”

Fortunately for the Nets.

“I’m glad he didn’t and I’m glad I didn’t see him because it would have been really bad,” laughed Thomas, who missed one of two at the line by 14.9 seconds back to leave New. Orleans a chance to tie with a deuce.

Javonte Green missed from 3, then after Thomas grabbed a rebound and got tied, ended up with a jump ball.

The ball went out of bounds, and was initially ruled from the Nets. But Fernandez won a challenge to turn it around and Schroder ran out the clock.

After being outscored on the glass, 35-28, through three quarters, the Nets outscored the Pelicans, 18-10, in the fourth while holding them to 30.8 percent shooting.

“Just focus on that, beat bodies and then actually go for the ball, have that mindset. That’s all it is,” Simmons said.

After watching Brandon Ingram light them up for 22 points in the first half, they knocked the ball out of his hands and held him to just two the rest of the way. With Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum out, the Pelicans had no answer.

“It was big for us,” Noah Clowney said. “We had a couple of games against really good teams where we played right down to the wire, and we didn’t close in the fourth. So for us to close in the fourth was a big step in the right direction. Although it’s not always pretty, we got it done.”