Coach Doc Rivers is tossed as Clippers fall in two overtimes

Reporting from New York —  The two technical fouls called on Clippers Coach Doc Rivers in the first overtime almost sealed their fate. The 18-point lead the Clippers blew in the third quarter almost sealed their fate.

They survived both harrowing events — until Sean Kilpatrick retook control of a game he had taken control of in the fourth quarter, leading the Brooklyn Nets to a 127-122 double-overtime upset of the reeling Clippers Tuesday night at Barclays Center.

The Clippers have lost three consecutive games, their defense failing them at every turn.

They never got a handle on Kilpatrick. He had 20 points in the fourth quarter, six in the first overtime and five more in the second overtime. He finished with 38 points, making 14 of 34 shots.

But the game turned into a technical-foul affair right after referee Lauren Holtkamp called a foul on Brandon Bass with 18.6 seconds left in the first overtime.

Before Isaiah Whitehead could shoot the two free throws, referee Ken Mauer hit Rivers with a technical foul for apparently being too far out of the coach’s box. Rivers grew upset and yelled at Mauer, who issued a second technical foul on the coach and ejected him from the game.

DeAndre Jordan and Clippers assistant coach Sam Cassell had to hold Rivers back for going after Mauer.

“I thought it was an awful tech,” Rivers said.

“Honestly, I think you guys know why the tech was called. The official who had nothing to do with the play thought I was yelling at Lauren and I wasn’t.… It was the damndest tech to give at that time.

“What the league is going to do is fall back on is I crossed half court. You’ll see tomorrow that’s what they’re going to say and we’re all going to know that’s not the reason.

“I don’t think that an official that has nothing to do with the play should be giving someone a tech. That’s my thing. That’s why I got upset.”

Mauer told a pool reporter that “technically,” the first technical against Rivers was for “crossing over midcourt.”

Mauer said Rivers was given the second technical foul for “behavior.”

“[His] language warrants a second technical foul,” Mauer said. [That] warranted an ejection after getting a first technical foul.”

Still, after all that, Whitehead missed both technical foul free throws.

And then Kilpatrick, who had been fouled on the play, made just one of two free throws, giving the Nets a 118-115 lead.

Jamal Crawford made a three-pointer to tie the score at 118, helping the game go into a second overtime, still giving the Clippers a chance to win.

But the Clippers were outscored, 9 to 4, in the last extra period. Kilpatrick’s five points in the second overtime were more than the Clippers scored.

“I thought we lost respect for the game,” Rivers said. “I thought we lost our humility. I thought we were playing great. We got up. We got cool. … We went Showtime and I think when that happens, you deserve to lose the game.”

broderick.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @BA_Turner