Even the best-laid plans can fall apart if you can’t make a layup in the fourth quarter.

The Nets picked up contributions from their rotation players new and old, but struggled with help defense, allowing Tyreke Evans to create out of the pick-and-roll and leaving one too many shooters open for three-pointers, right down to the final Quincy Pondexter dagger with 49.9 seconds left.

For a stretch lasting over five minutes in the fourth quarter, the Nets couldn’t convert a single field goal, and a one-point deficit ballooned to double-digits. A valiant effort followed, and big plays by Deron Williams, Alan Anderson, and Joe Johnson helped shrink the deficit, but it was too little, too late.

The game marked a big chance for the Nets to steal their third straight victory on the road against a supremely undermanned Pelicans squad. But instead, the Nets head into a tough weekend with a loss under their belts.