HOUSTON — The Nets faced the last-place Rockets on Tuesday night, and they did exactly what a team heading for the playoffs is supposed to do to a cellar dweller.

Mikal Bridges scored a game-high 30 points and the Nets throttled Houston 118-96 for their third straight win, before a crowd of 14,833 at Toyota Center.

The score was knotted at 54-all in the waning seconds of the second quarter when the Nets reeled off a 21-3 run that spanned halftime. That surge broke the tie — and broke the Rockets.

The Nets tightened the defensive screws, holding the Rockets to just 1-for-10 shooting with three turnovers in the game-changing blitz.

“We’re staying together as a unit, as a team. Despite not all of us being here for that long, we just got that camaraderie where it’s us out there. And we all feel it,” Bridges said. “That’s the biggest thing. Even when they go on runs. We’re all just staying mellow and getting ready for the next possession. Just staying together is the biggest thing.”

For the first time all season, the Nets (37-28) have won three straight games by double digits. And Bridges is fast becoming the key.

Bridges, who had 18 points in the second half, is averaging 25.5 points on .526/.481/.922 shooting splits since he was acquired in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix. He’s the first player in NBA history to top 25 on 50/40/90 splits in his first 10 games with a new team.

“He’s an ultimate competitor,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “I love that piece about him.”

Bridges wasn’t alone.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points and helped hold Houston’s Kevin Porter Jr. to just seven. Nic Claxton had a stellar night with 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting, 13 rebounds, four blocks and excellent defense both in switching and in drop coverage.

After giving Houston’s young, drive-happy team a parade to the rim in the first half, allowing 57.5 percent shooting, the Nets packed the paint and held the Rockets to just 30.2 percent in the second half.

“Just had to lock in. A lot of that is on me, especially with us being in the drop, just being attentive, being ready to protect the rim. Houston, they lead the league in rim attempts, so going into the game I knew that would be a thing I have to lock in,” said Claxton, who is getting used to playing in the drop to ease the transition of Bridges and Cam Johnson.

“It’s all a part of the game. If I say I want to be a defensive player of the year, I need to be able to be effective in any coverage. So it’s something that I’m working on. And it’s going to be a work in progress. But I’ve been doing good staying active and protecting the rim.”

Jalen Green had 25 points to lead the Rockets (15-50).

The Nets stumbled out of the starting blocks, trailing 12-2 and falling behind by as much as 23-12 with 4:51 left in the first quarter. They still were down 35-27 when they changed the game, reeling off 16 unanswered points, mostly from their bench. They never trailed again.

“That second quarter was a big difference-maker for us. That group [Johnson], Seth [Curry], Joe [Harris] was out there, they really shifted the momentum,” Vaughn said. “Their ability to get stops and get out in transition and create pace was huge.”

During that 16-0 run, they held Houston to 0-for-4 shooting with three turnovers as the Nets got out and ran. A Harris 3-pointer capped the run and gave the Nets a 43-35 lead with 8:07 remaining in the second quarter.

The Rockets managed to pull even at 54-all on a Jabari Smith Jr. put-back with 48.2 seconds left in the half. But that’s when the Nets put it away.

A Dinwiddie layup broke the tie and Johnson stole a bad Alperen Sengun pass and found Bridges, who hit a 3 that just beat the buzzer. Smith’s ensuing technical got the Nets off on the right foot after the break, and they scored the first six points coming out of the locker room.

Claxton capped the 21-3 spurt with a highlight play, a steal and coast-to-coast dribble for a 75-57 lead with 6:49 left in the third. The Nets’ lead reached 22 in the fourth.

“We’re starting to figure it out,” Claxton said. “It all starts on the defensive side of the ball.”