NEW ORLEANS — The Nets’ road trip will end Monday night against the Pelicans, but the lessons from the first two games of this journey will linger for a while. The losses to the Celtics and Cavaliers came after the Nets restored the lead in the fourth quarter. But inconsistent play in the fourth quarter has persisted since the loss to the Hawks in the season opener.

This game saw the Nets tied for three quarters and down by 10 just before the middle of the fourth. A loss to the Nuggets in overtime came after the Nets let them hang around and made up for it with timely baskets from Nikola Jokic to end regulation.

“Every game we lost, you can kind of point to that,” Cam Johnson said of his lack of execution through four quarters. “So let’s go back to the drawing board. It’s not immediate, as I keep saying, and it’s going to take a lot of focus, a lot of effort and a lot of trust in each other, but I’m confident we can take the next step .

For starters, the Nets need to make shots down the stretch. Against the Celtics last Friday, they shot 1 of 10 in the final 6:16 of regulation when an 88-82 lead was erased and Boston rallied to send the game into overtime.

The same thing happened 24 hours later. With the Cavaliers going on a final 16-4 run in the final 4:24, the Nets shot 1 of 6 and turned the ball over three times.

Johnson said the two opponents had better chemistry on both ends playing longer with each other. This familiarity leads to confidence on offense and knowing where to be to create good looks.

His teammates agreed.

“You look at Cleveland or Boston, they have a lot of experience, especially their cores together,” Nic Claxton said after Monday’s shootaround. “So it’s just finding those sets over time, having enough energy and everyone being on the same page.”

It starts with Dennis Schroder, who took responsibility for not preparing his teammates better. There were two possessions Saturday, he said, where he gave Claxton the ball in the wrong place and one of them led to a turnover.

Since Ben Simmons has yet to close out games, it’s up to Schroder as the primary ball handler to make things easier down the stretch. And he knows it.

“At the end of the day, I just have to make sure I keep the ball in my hands), get everyone organized and then execute,” Schroder said. “And yes, I think we will have better results then.”

It’s all part of the learning process for this Nets team. Coach Jordi Fernandez blamed himself for mismanaging his substitution patterns on Saturday.

But closing time is what separates great teams from good ones. The Nets showed they could execute in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Grizzlies twice and picking up a win against the Bulls.

It’s now about being consistent in execution late in the game, especially with a busy schedule this week. The Nets host the Celtics on Wednesday before facing the Knicks twice.

“It’s not going to be perfect. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we have to stick with it,” Johnson said. “We must continue to pursue this goal and not give up.”

Williams’ hand goes cold

Ziaire Williams’ hot start to filming has cooled considerably since the calendar flipped to November

Williams hadn’t scored three points this month before Monday’s game. He is 0 for 12 in the Nets’ five games in November and 1 for 16 in the last six games since a career-high four threes on October 29. “A lot of big misses, man,” Williams said on set. “Inside and out. . . I always shoot the same way. So no, they will average.

Williams found other ways to contribute. He set a career high with 12 rebounds against the Celtics on Friday and tied his career high with four offensive rebounds.

But the shooting that seemed like a turning point from his days in Memphis has receded. Williams isn’t worried, though, attributing it to the normal ebbs and flows of a season.

“You can’t really control successes and failures, can you? » he said. “Just control your preparation and how you feel, and they all feel good. So that’s all I can ask.

Finney-Smith out with sprained ankle

Dorian Finney-Smith was ruled out on Monday with a sprained left ankle. Fernandez said before the game that Finney-Smith’s ankle was sore after the shot and while “it’s not a huge concern,” the team chose to be cautious. His status is undetermined for Wednesday’s game against the Celtics.

Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies, as well as prep sports in Los Angeles.