After Allen Crabbe shot the Nets to their first three-game winning streak of the season, coach Kenny Atkinson shook his guard’s hand. He joked it was still hot.
That’s the kind of career night Crabbe had in sparking the Nets to a 114-105 victory over the Bulls in their home finale at Barclays Center on Monday. While the rest of the NBA’s bottom feeders are tanking, the Nets are trying. And, for a change, winning.
On his 26th birthday, Crabbe had a career-high 41 points on 8-of-11 shooting from deep. It’s the most by a Net this season, and third-most since moving to Brooklyn.
“I shook his hand after the game and it was still hot, still cooking,” Atkinson said. “He’s really finishing the season the way we’re asking the team to finish, on a strong note. These games are important to us, so the fact that he kept working on his game, kept improving, it’s really good for us.”
APThe Nets (28-53) are 7-5 in their last 12 games, 5-2 in their last seven. They moved past Chicago and now sit above seven teams in the standings with only Wednesday’s finale at Boston left. It’s hardly anything to brag about, but without their own draft pick until 2019, the Nets need legitimate progress, not lottery positioning.
“It’s starting to come around for me. I’m starting to find my rhythm, and just getting more comfortable within the flow of the offense,” Crabbe said. “Tonight was just a night where, I’m glad I had a night on my birthday, and we got the win. It just puts the cherry on top.
“Maybe we’re turning that corner that we wanted to hit a little earlier in the season, but it’s better late than never. Let’s get this last one in Boston and just go into the offseason with some momentum. We have to feel good about ourselves and just end the season off the right way.”
It’s a sign of how hard offense has been to come by that Monday marked only the second time all season the Nets had three 20-point scorers. And it came with DeMarre Carroll, Caris LeVert and Joe Harris all hurt.
D’Angelo Russell had 21 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, repeatedly making Chicago pay for trapping him up high. Spencer Dinwiddie was back in the lineup and added 20 points.
“Big time,” Russell said of Crabbe’s night. “Could’ve easily come out, BSed the game. For him, the player that he is, to come out and put a performance like that is big time.”
A league source told The Post that e-commerce billionaire Joe Tsai is on the verge of completing his deal to buy 49 percent of the Nets. It could be finalized within the week.
Injured guard Jeremy Lin did a Q&A at Barclays Center. The media wasn’t invited, but a fan posted video of the point guard answering a question about how he sees next season going.
“I see myself just being a beast out there. That includes being a starter, being a guy, a main, main guy. That’s what I came here to do, that’s what they want me to do,” Lin said. “And as long as my body holds up and I’m healthy, I think next year is going to be a big year. I think we’ll make up for lost time and that’s what I’m hoping for.”
Atkinson said he hopes Harris and LeVert can be back for Wednesday’s season finale.
