The Nets stepped up in competition Sunday night, but not in play.
Brooklyn got routed 107-77 by Sacramento before a sellout crowd of 17,732 at Barclays Center.
Having won five of their previous seven, the Nets (31-48) were looking to build a semblance of positive momentum going into the offseason.
But what they found was a beating at the hands of the Kings.
Granted, the Nets played the tail end of a back-to-back with a decimated frontcourt, missing starting center Nic Claxton as well as forwards Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith.
But trailing by 25 in the first half and 33 in the second, this was never close.
The Nets got swept by the Kings (45-33) for a second straight year.
Though they didn’t let Sacramento hit them with a franchise-record barrage of 25 3-pointers like they had in their Dec. 11 loss, they still got blown out.
The difference was this time it was offensive incompetence that did them in, usually the Achilles’ heel under interim coach Kevin Ollie.
Cam Thomas led the way with a team-high 21 points, but the Nets shot just 34.9 percent overall and a horrid 7 of 30 from 3-point range.
Teen rookie Noah Clowney got muscled around, knocked to the court at least four times.
But it was Dennis Schroder who got called for a flop, sent flying and hit with a technical for his trouble.
It was that kind of evening.
Leading 14-7 after Schroder found Clowney for a cutting layup with 5:47 left in the first, the Nets surrendered a 20-3 run over the next 5 ½ minutes.
Brooklyn missed seven of its next eight shots and committed three turnovers.
And when the blitz was done, they trailed 27-17 after Davion Mitchell’s 3-pointer with half a minute left in the first.
Fox’s midrange turnaround just before the half left the Nets in a 65-40 hole that they never managed to climb out of.
It was an odd half that saw Mikal Bridges take just two shots — missing both — in an all-but-invisible scoreless half.
Meanwhile, Schroder shot 1 of 10.
The Nets managed to claw within 14 to end the third, and it was still 80-66 after Thomas’ layup.
But not only couldn’t they make a final run, they saw the Kings blow it wide open.
A 27-8 run left the Nets in a 33-point chasm.
Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis came within a hair of his 27th triple-double.
He had 18 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists, checking out with the game well in hand.
De’Aaron Fox had 20 points and five boards for the Kings.
