Jordi Fernandez had a simple explanation for the move that turned into one of the biggest talking points from Brooklyn’s 124-121 loss to Atlanta: he rode the hot hand.
Nolan Traore was the Nets’ most efficient scorer through three quarters on Saturday at State Farm Arena, piling up 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting. But when the fourth quarter arrived, he stayed on the bench. Fernandez stuck with rookie point guard Mikel Brown Jr., who responded with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the final period as Brooklyn tried to hang on.
The Nets had a 114-110 lead with two minutes left, but the finish unraveled fast. Atlanta closed on a 14-7 run, and Brooklyn never found the stops or the clean possessions it needed to survive the stretch.
“Mikel had those five straight points, and I just let him roll. Because you cannot just keep taking them in and out,” the coach said.
“I think that when I was about to sub Nolan in, Mikel made two or three threes and a mid-range pull-up. So I thought that was the right thing to do.
Was it right? I don't know.
If the Nets lose this game, these two plays will be why.
— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) November 8, 2026
Day'Ron and Julius need to secure these rebounds. pic.twitter.com/p9MXnzFhXu
Obviously, Nolan did very well. They scored 18 and 19 [points].
So that's a very good contribution from your two point guards.”
Traore said Fernandez did not address the decision with him during or after the game.
“No, he didn’t say anything,” the Nets sophomore replied.
Brooklyn’s backcourt has become one of the team’s brightest offensive spots lately, with Traore and Brown both flashing real scoring punch. Fernandez, though, has not been willing to use them together for long stretches, apparently because of defensive concerns.
The decision to keep Traore on the sideline in the fourth mattered because Brooklyn’s offense bogged down without him. The Nets managed just 26 points on 10-of-26 shooting in the period, while also coughing up six assists and five turnovers. Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle combined for eight points on 3-of-10 shooting, with two assists and two turnovers in the quarter.
Atlanta took advantage on the other end, scoring 36 fourth-quarter points on 11-of-24 shooting and getting to the line 16 times. Brooklyn couldn’t get enough stops, and it also failed to secure the defensive glass when it mattered most.
“We were not consistent enough to do the right things. And it’s not about making shots; it’s about trying to do the right things.
Obviously, the points off turnovers [were an issue]. This is a team that will pressure you, and we had 22 turnovers for 28 points.
That’s not acceptable. That’s where you lose the game,” Fernandez said.
Traore was just as blunt about what went wrong.
“Our effort was not great. We didn’t do a lot of things.
We didn’t pay attention to details. Offensively, a lot of random stuff.
So I guess we were just not really focused anymore,” he said. “We had great looks in the first half, but in the second half, we played more random stuff, so we didn’t have the same quality shots.
So that might be the main thing. I don’t think Atlanta did something that disturbed us.
It was more just us doing random stuff.”
Porter and Randle remain central to Brooklyn’s hopes of getting out of its early-season funk, but Saturday showed how shaky things can get when the ball security slips. The pair finished with 44 points on 16-of-31 shooting, yet they also combined for nine turnovers. As a team, the Nets turned it over 22 times, and Atlanta converted those mistakes into 28 points.
The two were also part of a costly late sequence. With Brooklyn down 115-114 and 1:15 left, Porter missed an open three.
The rebound bounced to Randle, but instead of securing it, he slapped the ball away toward half court. The play broke down from there, and Nikeil Alexander-Walker beat him to the loose ball before racing in for a layup.
Day’Ron Sharpe produced the first triple-double of his career with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, but even that performance came with a late mistake. After Brown’s three gave Brooklyn a 114-110 lead, Alexander-Walker missed on the other end and Sharpe secured the rebound. Daniels then stripped him, setting up an Onyeka Okongwu three.
Brooklyn is now 2-7 and heads to Dallas for a back-to-back on Sunday. The Nets will be without Egor Demin, who has a right leg bone bruise, and Mikel Brown Jr., who is out for back injury management.
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