The kids had it, and then they didn’t. What looked like a feel-good sendoff into All-Star weekend turned into another reminder of how little room for error exists for a young team still learning how to finish. The Nets fell to the Indiana Pacers 115-110 on Wednesday night at Barclays Center, watch ing an 18-point third-quarter lead dissolve in a game that slipped through their hands late. The loss snapped Brooklyn’s two-game win streak and dropped it to 15-38 heading into the break. “It wasn’t just one player, it was many,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “Those are things we can control, and we weren’t good enough. That’s why we lost. We have higher standards than that, especially on things we can control, and when you get an opportunity, you have to play as hard as you can and be locked in. Losing three out of four quarters, you’re not going to win many games.” Even with Michael Porter Jr., Nic Claxton and Noah Clowney unavailable, it was hard to picture the Nets running into serious trouble against a Pacers group missing eight players, including Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith. Brooklyn beat Indiana back on Nov. 5, and even then, the opponent hardly resembled a full roster. This one, however, turned quickly late. For long stretches, the night felt like a showcase of where the franchise is headed. Nolan Traore, picking up right where he left off Monday, opened the game by whipping a one-handed skip pass to Egor Dëmin for three. It was a preview. Dëmin hit both of his triples in the first quarter. Traore piled up seven quick points. Drake Powell attacked downhill and earned six at the line in a blink. Day’Ron Sharpe, making his first start since Jan. 7, scored seven points in his first seven minutes. Ochai Agbaji checked in late in the period for his Nets debut and ultimately gave Brooklyn 16 minutes, six rebounds and two assists. The Nets didn’t shoot it great early, but they defended well enough to build a 31-18 cushion after one. Traore kept bending the game from there. He got into the paint. He sprayed the ball to shooters. He rose into jumpers with a confidence that keeps growing. Danny Wolf delivered seven points in eight second-quarter minutes. Ben Saraf supplied the highlight of the half, hammering a left-handed dunk over Micah Potter that pushed the lead to 43-30. Indiana found life offensively in the period and shot 52%, but Brooklyn stacked advantages elsewhere. Nine trey to the Pacers’ seven. Eleven free throws made while Indiana had taken only six. Traore’s second triple beat the horn and sent the Nets to halftime up 11. He had 14 by then, his most in a first half this season, and the youth movement was everywhere. Traore, Dëmin, Wolf, Powell and Saraf combined for 43 of Brooklyn’s 64 points in the opening 24 minutes. It felt sustainable, until it wasn’t. Both teams shot better than 50% in the third, but the Nets started handing the Pacers extra possessions. Ten turnovers. Fourteen Indiana points off them. After committing just four in the first half, the sloppiness cracked the door open for a Pacers rally. “It was more of us than them,” Traore said. Ziaire Williams poured in 14 points in the quarter, going 5-for-6 and 4-for-5 from deep, while no other Net had more than four. What had been an 18-point advantage shrank possession by possession, the Pacers ripping off a 20-8 push to make it a six-point game heading to the fourth. By the time the clock dipped under nine minutes, it was tied at 97. A minute later, Indiana had its first lead since the opening bucket. Traore tried to pull it back. Two tough floaters on consecutive trips. A kick-out to Dëmin for three that nudged Brooklyn in front. And after a late turnover, Sharpe ripped a steal and finished to tie it at 110 with 38.3 seconds remaining. Still, it wasn’t enough. Kam Jones drilled a 3-pointer with 16.8 seconds left. Dëmin had a clean look on the next possession and couldn’t get it to fall. Potter handled the rest at the line. “I thought it was an amazing play,” Dëmin said. “Knowing their coverage, I knew it would be a good shot for me unless they changed something. I’m really upset it didn’t go in, but I’ve got to move on. I’ll probably sit with it a little over the break but then think about the next games.” Traore finished with 20 points and eight assists. Dëmin had 13, five and five. Wolf added 14 points and eight boards. Saraf chipped in 12, four and two. It marked the first time Traore and Dëmin each recorded at least five assists in the same game, the sixth time they’ve started together. Jarace Walker led Indiana with 23 points. Dëmin now heads to Los Angeles as Brooklyn’s lone participant in All-Star weekend after being named to the Castrol Rising Stars roster. The Nets resume play Feb. 19 in Cleveland. ...read more read less