Nets couldn't give Jordi Fernandez a surprise against former team Nuggets

For Jordi Fernandez, Tuesday was an opportunity to see the Denver team with which he gained his experience. But for his Nets, it was a chance to compete with champions.

They came agonizingly short, squandered a massive double-digit lead and fell 144-139 in overtime in front of a sellout crowd of 17,926 at Barclays Center.

The Nets (1-2) played well enough to build a 17-point lead, but then watched as a pair of misses from Dorian Finney-Smith left the door open and MVP Nikola Jokic broke through in overtime.

After missing a crucial free throw that allowed Jokic to tie the game with a hook shot with 8.8 seconds left in regulation, Finney-Smith missed a potentially crucial corner 3 to give Brooklyn that extra stanza.

Here the Nets lost when Cam Thomas scored first, but then scored eight unanswered points and never recovered.

They travel to Memphis for the conclusion of back-to-back Wednesdays and wonder how they lost it.

One answer was Jokic. The star scored 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists, joining Oscar Robertson as the only players to ever record those numbers.

The other thing is that with a 47:27 disparity in free throws, you are on the wrong end.

“We played extremely hard. I’m very proud of the boys,” said Fernandez. “Of course the free throws were a problem. They continue to be a problem. We'll keep doing what we're doing, but we'll do it better. The fact that we fought against a team like that means a lot to me for our group. This next step will help us achieve a breakthrough.”

Thomas (26 points) had the first basket in overtime, but the Nets went on an 8-0 run.

Jokic, who had four points, three boards and two assists in OT, made free throws.

He then added a putback of his own miss, and after Thomas was blocked by Christian Braun, Jokic found Aaron Gordon (24 points) for a layup that left Brooklyn trailing 131-127 with 3:09 left in overtime.

Thomas missed a jumper and Jamal Murray extended Denver's lead to six. The rest was disappointing.

Dennis Schroder posted a team-high 28 points and 14 assists – his most as a netminder – while shooting 10 of 18 overall and 5 of 11 from distance.

With seven scorers in double figures, Brooklyn had a balanced attack, shooting 51 percent and 20 of 52 from distance.

The Nets had 37 assists on just nine turnovers, but seven of those came after halftime as Denver adjusted its defense and the Nets faltered.

“In the second half we stopped picking up the tempo a little bit,” Thomas said. “The free throws are enough every time. So these two, really. We fought hard. We had a big lead early on. But we have to be close.”

After the Nets built multiple 17-point leads – most recently 47-30 on a Ziaire Williams jumper with 9:42 left in the first half – the Nuggets put Jokic on Finney-Smith and Aaron Gordon on Nic Claxton and Nic Claxton in the second half everyone switched pick-and-rolls.

Brooklyn still led 99-93 after Claxton hit a mid-range jump shot with less than a minute left in the third period before capping off a 13-2 run that extended into the fourth period, making it 106: 101 fell behind.

The Nets didn't give up and responded with eight unanswered balls of their own to take a 109-106 lead.

Thomas pulled off a tough turnaround against Braun for a 124-121 lead with 33 seconds left in regulation.

But Jokic scored on a putback and Finney-Smith made only one of two free throws, leaving the door ajar.

Denver got going and Jokic got into position for a 5-foot hook shot with 8.8 seconds left.

Finney-Smith's missed corner 3 resulted in the Nets being sent to OT, where they lost.

“I have to make the free throw,” Finney-Smith said.

About the missed look at the end of regular time, he said: “The coach ordered a move for Dennis. He knowingly cornered me [Jokic] wanted to help and he gave me a corner 3. I'll take that [look] every day of the week.”