TORONTO — The Nets won the game.
Many will worry that it is contributing to losing the war.
Or the lottery.
Brooklyn is in full tank mode right now, coming from behind to beat Toronto 101-94 at Scotiabank Arena.
It's a nice win today, but it might hurt in June.
The Nets (11-16) are 3 1/2 games ahead of Toronto in the standings, and the same difference in the race for the league's worst record.
Brooklyn ended a three-game slide, but it also lowered their chances of winning the lottery or even getting a top-four pick.
But the Nets competed and fought, going on a 25-9 run in the final nine minutes.
Brooklyn got a big night from Cam Johnson, who had 33 points, 10 boards and six assists.
The forward accounted for 64.5 percent of Brooklyn's offense in the crucial fourth quarter, scoring 15 points and dishing out two assists, including five points.
“Yeah, just play for 48 minutes,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said of his mission. “Obviously we've had a bit of a readjustment with the group and the guys and everyone's dealing with injuries so that's no excuse.
“Like I said, this movement is part of the business. And we just have to keep working and do what we've been doing. We're just going out there to fight. Give yourself a chance. If you do it together, you'll accept the outcome.”
Brooklyn's offense struggled from the start after point guard and leader Dennis Schroder was traded to Golden State.
Leading scorer Cam Thomas has missed eight consecutive games with left hamstring tightness and will not be re-evaluated until the weekend.
Other than his offensive punch, the Nets don't have anyone else who can beat opponents off the dribble.
However, Johnson did it for his team, posting the third-highest score of his career.
Brooklyn led 81-72 after Kelly Olynyk's free throw with 9:40 remaining.
However, the Nets mounted an onslaught over the next five minutes.
Johnson's comeback gave them an 88-86 lead and stopped the scoring.
His short jumper made it 90-all with 2:24 left.
After a defensive stand, he made a 3-point shot to tie the score.
Johnson's free throw with 1:20 left put them up 95-90 and cruising.
Starting center Nick Claxton was ejected in the first half for throwing a ball into the stands.
He had just been intentionally fouled by Kelly Olynyk, and may have been angry that he had attempted a possession earlier that failed and ended up being a no-call.
In any case, this is already Claxton's third sending off this season in just his 21st game.
And his discipline might have been even worse if not for the quick reaction of Brooklyn assistant Juwan Howard. They stopped him from throwing something like a seat cushion after he was sent off.
But despite Claxton's gaffe, Brooklyn lost six straight to a tanky Toronto. And he won a pyrrhic victory.
Reese Beekman made his Nets debut on Thursday night.
The undrafted rookie, who arrived earlier this week in the Schroder deal, checked in on Dorian Finney-Smith with 3:30 left in the third quarter.
This was his third career NBA game after making a brief cameo in Golden State's game against New Orleans, where he totaled two points in a four-minute game.
Trendon Watford has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain and will have an update on his status within the week.
Giare Williams (left knee sprain) progressed to on-court contact training with his coach.
He plans to join the team's activities within the next week.
