The Nets snapped the longest losing streak in the NBA.
The victory was Pyrrhic.
The Nets’ 116-99 win over tanking rival Sacramento before a sellout crowd of 17,548 at Barclays Center broke a 10-game slide, but hurt their odds in the all-important NBA Draft lottery.
Brooklyn improved to 18-57 but fell to third in the lottery standings with just seven games left in this tanking season that has been all about that lottery position.
The Nets stayed a game behind Indiana, but fell behind Washington. They’re now just a game ahead of fourth-place Sacramento after winning a game they would’ve been better served losing.
Ochai Agbaji had a season-high 18 points, while rookie first-round pick Nolan Traore had 17 points and six assists for Brooklyn.
Brooklyn led by as much as 27, up 50-23, midway through the second quarter on a layup by starting center Nic Claxton. Regular Noah Clowney added 15 points and seven boards, even though the game got nervy at times once Jordi Fernandez emptied the bench.
Up by 19, the Nets coughed up a 17-6 run.
But they held on to win.
