With the season winding down, the Nets played their kids Tuesday. And those kids played their tails off in an energetic 119-114 win over the equally tanking Pelicans.

There was rookie Reece Beekman handing out a career-high 10 assists, and buzzing around on defense. There was Drew Timme coming off the bench with 16 points and nine rebounds. And there was even Tyson Etienne going airborne for a loose ball, hurdling into the second row before 16,407 at Barclays Center.

“They have fun. They support each other. They play hard for 48 minutes,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “It’s just great to see.

“The way I see it is these guys are driving the culture. When you bring new younger guys — because those things are out of my control — it’s good to keep taking those positive steps.”

The Nets ripped the Pelicans 43-26 in the third quarter, their highest-scoring period of the season. They hit 17-for-40 from deep and led by as many as 20.

Trendon Watford had a game-high 22 points on 7-for-8 shooting and five assists in just 23 minutes, scoring 11 in that huge third.

“I’m just hooping, bro, taking what the defense was giving,” Watford said.

With the starters rested early, the bench put five scorers in double figures. Beekman had 10 assists, three steals and just one turnover, joining Bub Carrington and Isaiah Collier as the only rookies with double-digit assists and one or fewer turnovers.

But the highlight was Etienne’s hurdle over a front-row fan’s head.

“It was just a lucky play. But I’m just hustling, getting a possession for us and worry about everything else after that,” Etienne said. “I know God’s got me, so I know I’m protected out there when I’m competing.”

Brooklyn (26-53) currently has the sixth-best odds in the lottery.

They seized the lead for good with 10 unanswered points in the second quarter. Then they blew it open with 11-0 and 8-0 runs in the third.

The Nets led 99-77 after Etienne’s free throws with 5.5 seconds left in the third.

The Nets allowed a 13-2 run to see that cut to 116-112. But Tosan Evbuomwan’s 3-pointer staunched the bleeding.

Fernández saw mentor Mike Malone shockingly fired by Denver just three games before they start the playoffs. They first met in Cleveland, and Fernández was the latter’s assistant with the Nuggets from 2016-22.

“It’s tough with three games to go and in the position they are to play for everything. Super accomplished coach, a person that means a lot to me in my career. I would not be here without him,” Fernández said.

“It was not just a good time that we had there and how much the team improved and the experiences we shared together, but also for my development and his mentorship towards me, it means the world. And when you hear something like that, it’s not a great day. It’s part of this business, but definitely shocking. And with the championship coach that he is, for sure he’ll be back coaching in this league very soon. But not something you want to hear for sure.”