The Nets stepped up in weight class Friday night and stepped up to the challenge.
And it was a long-range barrage that helped them do it.
The Nets grounded out a mature-looking 125-108 come-from-behind victory over Chicago before a sellout crowd of 17,894 at Barclays Center.
Brooklyn shot 18 of 24 from 3-point range in the second half, tying an NBA record for 3s in a half and shattering the prior franchise mark of 16 set earlier this season (on Nov. 26, 2023 against these same Bulls).
The win helped the Nets (29-45) push back elimination for a while and keep their flickering postseason hopes from being extinguished altogether.
Coby White (0) in the second quarter at Barclays Center. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
And if nothing else, after victories at gutted Toronto and talent-poor Washington, they ran their winning streak to three straight by beating a (nearly) solid opponent.
Chicago (35-39) is sitting in ninth in the East, holding the third of four Play-In spots.
The Nets kept their tragic number — their combination of losses and Atlanta wins that would officially eliminate them — at four.
The Hawks were idle Friday night.
Brooklyn trails Atlanta by 5 ½ games for the final play-in tournament spot in the Eastern Conference with just eight dates left on their schedule.
Point guard Dennis Schroder regularly got past Chicago’s Coby White into the lane, with 27 points on 7 of 11 from behind the arc, seven assists and five rebounds.
And Cam Thomas shook off a slow start and some pesky long-armed defense by Ayo Dosunmu to finish with a team-high 28 points.