First came lost poise.
Then a lost game.
The Nets squandered a double-digit cushion, and a five-point edge with seconds left in regulation.
In the end, Brooklyn fell 105-99 at Indiana on Thursday night.
Trendon Watford led the way for Brooklyn until he got ejected with 4:48 left in regulation.
The Nets still led 91-86 with 41 seconds left before letting the Pacers force overtime.
And that’s where they found a way to lose, trailing for the first time since the opening period and never regaining their composure.
The teams play consecutive games, with a rematch slated for Saturday in what could be testy.
Brooklyn has lost a dozen of their past 14 games over the past four weeks.
They’re a half-game ahead of Philadelphia for fifth in the lottery standings, and 1 ½ games ahead of seventh-place Toronto.
There were three ties and seven lead changes in overtime.
The last — after Ziaire Williams (22 points, career-high six 3s) had put the Nets up 99-98 with 1:15 in OT — came via TJ McConnell.
He went to the line and sank both to put the Pacers up for good.
Then he picked Tyrese Martin’s pocket, passing to Pascal Siakam.
The latter sank one of two for a 101-99 Indiana lead with 58 seconds remaining.
Brooklyn didn’t respond.
When Keon Johnson tried to go up for a two-handed dunk, Myles Turner blocked him at the rim. McConnell went back to the line, and again this time sank both to put the Nets in their largest deficit of the night at 103-99 with 18 seconds remaining in OT.
Nic Claxton’s travel on the ensuing possession all but sealed Brooklyn’s fate.
Turner and Watford went at it with 4:48 left in regulation, the latter getting two technicals.
It was the turning point after the Nets forward had 15 points, five rebounds, a plus-8. He was sorely missed.
The Nets led by as many as 11 in the third quarter, but allowed a 10-2 run to see that cushion slashed to just one at 64-63.
But Brooklyn reeled off the next seven points late in the third quarter to pad the lead back up to eight.
Noah Clowney picked up his fifth foul in an 8-0 Pacers run, and Brooklyn saw Indiana knot the score at 71-all.
But Watford stanched the bleeding.
The Nets had been ineffective attacking the paint in the second half until Watford drove hard to the rim to stem the tide.
Then the Nets went into a zone, forcing a third Pacers shot clock violation of the night.
Day’Ron Sharpe’s offensive rebound led to a D’Angelo Russell 3 and a five-point lead. Maxwell Lewis’ drive made it 78-71 and sent Indiana into a timeout.
Brooklyn still led 84-79 when Watford gave a modest push to Andrew Nembhard.
The latter shoved him back, Turner ran over and got into it with Watford, and Obi Toppin had to be led away by Pacers staffers. Watford got ejected, and it proved costly.
The Nets, still leading 91-86 after Russell found Ziaire Williams for a 3-pointer with 1:42 left in regulation, couldn’t protect that lead.
After Russell missed from outside, Bennedict Mathurin hit a midrange jumper with 40 seconds to go in regulation.
After Russell missed another jumper, Keon Johnson fouled Mathurin to give him three free throws with 14 seconds on the clock, and the Pacers guard calmly sank them all to knot it.
Williams missed at the buzzer to send it into overtime.
That’s where the Nets lost it.
