Trenton Hassell was a big reason why the Nets broke their three-game losing streak Saturday with an 85-83 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia.
The backup forward, averaging 15.8 minutes, played 31 big minutes and was a defensive catalyst during the Nets’ fourth-quarter comeback.
“Trenton was phenomenal,” said Vince Carter, who missed the last 10:52 with a sprained ankle. “He’s a vet. He’s always ready to go, knows how to play the game. He helps a lot of the guys out there, gives his opinions and he’s ready. That’s one of the toughest jobs in this business, to sit for so many hours and quarters and yet you get called on to produce and you do so.”
Hassell, who came to the Nets as part of last season’s Jason Kidd trade, scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds, but his contribution was most noticeable on the defensive end, where he had two blocked shots and helped the Nets turn in one of their best defensive performances of the season.
Hassell blocked a shot by Philadelphia’s Andre Miller with 3.9 seconds left and the Nets clinging to a two-point lead.
“He did a back door,” Hassell said of Miller. “And I saw Devin [Harris] go for the pump fake, and I just wanted to contest the shot. Luckily I got a piece of it.”
Harris blocked Royal Ivey’s put-back and the Nets won a game in which they trailed by 17 in the third quarter and 12 with under nine minutes left. They forced the 76ers to miss their last 18 shots, largely due to Hassell’s performance.
“We’ve shown flashes of good defense,” Hassell said. “We just don’t do it on a regular basis. We played great team defense. We did what we’re supposed to do . . . and we did the scheme well in the fourth quarter.”
The Nets are focused on developing their young players, so Hassell, a seven-year veteran and starter on the 2003-04 Timberwolves who went to the Western Conference Finals, hasn’t seen much playing time. His minutes could increase after Saturday’s performance.
“Our assistant [coaches] said we really have to strongly consider getting Trenton in there,” head coach Lawrence Frank said. “I credit our assistants in terms of just looking at it [as an option], and more importantly credit Trenton for being ready and stepping up in such a huge way.”
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Carter and Bobby Simmons are listed as day-to-day.
dtomasino@nypost.com
