Facing a daunting set of back-to-back games at opposite ends of the country, the Nets needed overtime to avoid a disastrous finish in the first leg Sunday in Brooklyn. 

Having dropped four of their previous five games — and five straight at home — in their first true slump of the season, the Nets gave up a 10-point lead in the final four minutes of regulation before pulling out an exhaling 121-119 OT win over the Spurs at Barclays Center. 

“We didn’t let go. We could have dropped our heads at times but our defense and our energy stayed with it. Wasn’t always perfect but it was better,” coach Steve Nash said after his team’s first home win since Dec. 16. “We keep talking about that COVID interruption, but that was a better defensive performance.” 

The game was tied at 119 until the final Nets possession, when a double-teamed Kevin Durant (team-high 28 points) found cutting rookie Cam Thomas for a tiebreaking 10-foot floater in the paint with 1.7 seconds to go in extra time. 

“It’s crazy kind of just to be a part of the team with so many great players, basically legends of the game,” said Thomas, who finished with 11 points in 30 minutes off the bench. “And then for them to have trust in me to go in there and make that kind of shot in this kind of game, it’s kind of surreal, but you want to keep building on it and just keep working.” 

James Harden netted 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and overtime while also registering 12 assists. Nic Claxton added 16 points with 14 rebounds for the Nets (25-13) ahead of Monday’s makeup game in Portland from a Dec. 23 COVID-19 postponement. 

Road-only unvaccinated All-Star guard Kyrie Irving will be back in the lineup after making his season debut last week in Indiana. Nash added that he also expects both Durant and Harden to play Monday against the Blazers following the team’s cross-country flight. 

“I wanna play, and then they pay me money to play basketball,” Durant said. “We’re definitely a better team [with Irving], a way better team, and he’s definitely gonna give us a lift. 

“So I’m looking forward to it. We’ve got a couple games on the road and an opportunity for us to build our chemistry so I’m looking forward to it.” 

Before the game, Nash said that he’s “very hesitant to make excuses” about the schedule. He also implored his sliding team to “attack” the uniqueness of these two games, with another road test to follow Wednesday at East-leading Chicago. 

“It’s different, but we’ve got to take it as an opportunity, an opportunity to succeed under adversity,” Nash said. “This moment, where we’re trying to find ourselves again, to have a tough back-to-back, so let’s embrace it. 

“Let’s see if we can win both or at least play well in both. Maybe that gives us a spark.” 

The Nets led by 10 with barely four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs (15-24) netted the final 10 points for a tie game, capped by consecutive long-distance connections by Lonnie Walker IV (25 points) and Josh Primo for a 113-all game with 40.9 seconds to go. 

Following an offensive foul by Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl, Durant misfired on a straightaway 3-point attempt in the closing seconds of regulation. Presented with a similar option at the end of the extra session, however, he found Thomas, who coolly sank the winning bucket. 

“When I get out top, especially late in the game, no matter how they’re shooting the ball, I realize teams might run and jump me out there and not let me play one-on-one,” Durant said. “So at the end of regulation, I saw [the defense] coming and I rushed the 3-pointer and maybe should have waited a little bit and we probably could have got the same set. 

“So when I saw [the defense] again in overtime, I was able to slow down a bit and find Cam and he showcased his brilliance, making a tough runner. That’s his shot. I’m glad he knocked that down.”