Another double-digit lead. Another endgame meltdown.

And another Nets loss, this one to the Bulls, 116-110, on Thursday in Chicago.

Brooklyn was up 92–80 in the waning seconds of the third quarter, then allowed a 27-9 run that extended into the fourth.

Coby White, who scored a game-high 31 points, looks to make a move on Keon Johnson during the Nets’ 116-110 loss to the Bulls on March 13, 2025. David Banks-Imagn Images

It flipped a 12-point lead into a six-point deficit the Nets never recovered from.

And it marked the fourth time in the past five games the Nets have blown a lead of at least 12 points in a loss.

“There’s still a month worth of opportunities to prove yourself, to prove a lot,” Cam Johnson said. “And any opportunity in this league is valuable, so we can’t let them go to waste. That’s for ourselves as a group, as individuals, for our coaching staff. There’s still a lot of things left to gain and also, at the same time, lose. So it’s on us to continue to just keep taking shots at it and not hang our heads.

“It’s kind of easy to [get down] when you lose double-digit leads multiple times in the fourth quarter, just poor execution, poor shot-making, poor defense time after time. It wears on you. So we’ve got to figure out how to combat that and shake those types of performances off and learn from them and learn how to get better.”

The silver lining for the Nets (22-44) was moving into fifth in the lottery race, a half-game ahead of Philadelphia and a game ahead of Toronto.

Cam Thomas had 24 points, a career-high 10 assists and six rebounds. Nic Claxton had 18 points and 14 boards.

Cam Thomas, who scored a team-high 24 points, drives to the basket during the Nets’ loss to the Bulls. Melissa Tamez/NBAE via Getty Images

But the Nets got outworked and out-hustled in the fourth quarter, losing for the ninth time in 10 games.

With Josh Giddey sidelined, the Bulls ran the offense through Coby White, who poured in a game-high 31 points.

But the Nets — who led 92-80 with seconds left in the third — went cold in allowing that 29-7 blitz. They shot 4 of 19 — just 1 of 7 from deep — with three turnovers during that Bulls run as they collapsed down the stretch.

“They got a lot of transition buckets, second-chance points. That was the story of the fourth,” Thomas said. “We didn’t do a good job of containing … and they came out with the win.”

Nic Claxton, who had 18 points and 14 rebounds, looks to shoot over Nikola Vucevic during the Nets’ loss to the Bulls. AP

Chicago’s zone gave the Nets fits, luring them into far too many midrange shots.

“We were not good with that zone. It’s my fault,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “So we’ve got to work and be better.”

The Nets stormed out of the gate, reeling off the first eight points.

After briefly falling behind, they mounted another 20-7 run, with a Thomas 3-pointer putting them ahead 50-43.

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Brooklyn padded that cushion to 92-80 on a Keon Johnson layup with 20.4 seconds left in the third quarter.

But the Nets allowed an extended 17-3 run that spanned the periods, going down 97-95 on Patrick Williams’ bucket with 6:17 to play.

The deficit reached 113-105 with a minute left on Kevin Huerter’s free throw, and Brooklyn never recovered.

“Our third quarter was our best quarter, and from there, we just relaxed and our focus was not there,” Fernandez said.

Noah Clowney (right ankle) was out for the Nets. Giddey (right ankle) was sidelined for Chicago.

Killian Hayes rejoined G-League Long Island.