Nets crush Trail Blazers after Cam Johnson’s big night

PORTLAND, Ore — The Nets steamrolled lottery rival Portland 132-114 in a wire-to-wire rout Tuesday night at Moda Center, their most lopsided victory of the season.

Was it Pyrrhic? Possibly.

Was it sweet? Certainly.

“Yeah, we needed that. We all needed it,” admitted Ben Simmons, whose 11 assists led a passing clinic. “Obviously we take a few games and take those losses, it’s frustrating. But you’ve got to be even-keeled, so sticking with it, staying with the principles and trying to get better each day, it’s part of the game.”

If the NBA ever starts tanking investigations, a night like Tuesday should give Brooklyn (14-26) blanket immunity.

Coming in riding a five-game losing skid and sixth in the lottery standings — just a half-game ahead the Trail Blazers — the Nets got back injured Cam Johnson and D’Angelo Russell. Both veterans played a huge role in a resounding rout over their closest lottery rival.

Johnson scored a team-high 24 points in his first game since Jan. 2 in Milwaukee — coincidentally their last victory before Tuesday. Russell (13 points, nine assists off the bench) combined with Simmons to carve up Portland’s defense.

The Nets’ 54,4 percent shooting and 29 fast break points were season-highs. Their 132 points and 36 assists were their best in regulation this season.

It was that kind of night.

“Oh, it’s fun,” Russell said. “It’s fun. Just as a team environment, win, lose or draw, that was fun. I think as our group, everybody kind of pitched in and got their swag back, and it was a great time to get your swag back on the road trip. I’m excited for the next few games coming up.”

In the end, they never trailed, their final margin their largest of the night.

It should be noted the win dropped the Nets a half-game behind Portland in the lottery standings, now seventh.

But the lottery is capricious.

It’s part of the reason Nets general manager Sean Marks has collected not just the NBA’s biggest horde of draft picks (31) but also the league’s largest cache of cap space ($65 million).

The more avenues to build — the more bites at the proverbial apple — the better.

Draft picks are no guarantee.

That’s why the more bites at the apple, the better.

The Nets have an NBA-high total of 15 future first-round picks, four this June. The odds are tilted in their favor. But they’re still just that — odds.

NBA fans have seen better odds come up craps.

Remember the 2009 Timberwolves and GM David Khan? They had four first-rounders — including picks No. 5 and 6 — and passed on Stephen Curry not once but twice. They picked Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, Kahn reportedly telling staff they were similar to Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe. Curry went seventh, DeMar DeRozan ninth and Jrue Holiday 17th.

It’s Marks’ task to not become Khan.

The future picks will help, as will the cap space. But with the Nets tanking as they enter a youth movement, it’s important to keep building a positive culture, one that keeps all the inevitable defeats from hurting the young players’ development.

It’s important to have nights like Tuesday.

The Nets used a 19-3 run that spanned the first and second quarters to blow it open.

The Nets opened the second quarter with six unanswered points to take a 46-30 lead, and never got challenged from there.

The Nets offense was white-hot behind Simmons and Russell. Keon Johnson and Noah Clowney — starting at center for injured Nic Claxton each had 20.

Clowney rebounded from his 0-of-10 nightmare in Utah by hitting 7-of-10.

And when Scoot Henderson (game-high 39) and Shaedon Sharpe helped the Blazers pull within 66-63 on the latter’s layup early in the third, the Nets padded it back to finish with their biggest margin of victory all season.

“We have to be proud of that effort,” Johnson said. “And just cherish every win. And just be excited to play, be excited to have our opportunities.”