The Brooklyn Nets appeared to be turning a corner during Sunday's matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. After a blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, which snapped a rut that saw the team lose nine of its last 10 games, Brooklyn led by 15 points entering the fourth quarter against the NBA's hottest team.

What a difference 12 minutes can make.

The Nets were outscored 41-15 in the final frame on their way to a disheartening 125-114 loss. After leading by 11 with 5:30 remaining, Brooklyn shot 0-of-9 the rest of the way, allowing Los Angeles to close the game on a 22-0 run. This game marks the second time in the last ten years that a team has closed on a run of 22-0 or longer, per Elias Sports Bureau.

The monumental collapse underscores a bleak reality for Jacque Vaughn's squad during their recent cold stretch: when the lights get bright, they shut down.

The Nets have lost 15 of their last 19 games. They rank dead last in fourth-quarter net rating and are 1-7 in clutch games (games within five points in the final five minutes) during that span.

Sunday's loss marks the third blown double-digit fourth-quarter lead in Brooklyn's last six games. They also led by 16 points during the third quarter of their January 15th loss to the Miami Heat.

Late-game struggles were expected for a Nets team without a marquee player this season. However, Sunday was as glaring an example of Brooklyn's star deficiency as you'll ever see. Kawhi Leonard dropped 14 points on 4-of-4 shooting and James Harden added eight points and five assists in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, the Nets struggled to get clean shots off with the Clippers switching everything defensively, shooting 7-of-21 from the field with three assists and four turnovers.

“They were playing harder. They adjusted. They went small. They redded everything and kept everything in front,” Mikal Bridges said. “We were stuck, didn’t know what to do with it, how to break it.”

Vaughn pointed to his team, one not known for isolation scoring, slowing their pace and falling into the trap of mismatch hunting when speaking on the fourth-quarter meltdown.

“It was on us, really. I think we slowed down, which was to their advantage,” the coach said. “We slowed down and tried to manipulate matchups. That's not gonna work, not for our group. We can try it and see if we can beat dudes one-on-one, but that's not how we built our lead.”

“When we were playing fast and making them react to us, we had the advantage. When we slowed the ball down in the fourth quarter and let them use their size, length and strength against us, this is what's gonna happen. That's what I told the group.”

The loss drops Brooklyn to 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a 17-24 record. Things aren't getting any easier for the Nets, as they'll return home for matchups with the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.