Perhaps reenergized by the return of Jeremy Lin, there were a few fleeting moments in which the Brooklyn Nets might’ve been up to the task of going toe-to-toe against the Western Conference powerhouse. After a couple gritty buckets from Bojan Bogdanovic, the Houston Rockets suddenly realized that the MVP-worthy James Harden was being guarded without help by the likes Isaiah Whitehead, Sean Kilpatrick, and Joe Harris.

The results were just about as unflattering as you’d expect, Harden’s first quarter line: 8 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and a steal. Yikes.

And yet, somehow, the Nets were right there, losing just 29-24 — is the magic of Lin alive and well?

Surprise! When Lin left the game, the Nets were immediately throttled to the tune of a 12-3 run. Maybe we just forgot how much more competent the Nets are with Lin on the court — but the stark comparison was like day and night.

Other than that, the Nets struggled to match three-pointers against the league-leading Rockets (4-11 vs. 7-22 in the first half) and Brook Lopez couldn’t get going against the beefy Clint Capela. Ryan Anderson, the former Net, continued to get free look after free look from deep and his silky stroke kept the Rockets up by as much as 14.

But by some sheer will, the Nets were just down 53-43 at halftime — I don’t really know how or why either, but the basketball gods are particularly fickle these days.

The second half brought a better Nets effort, but they still failed to really cut into the deficit past 9 or 10. Whether it was a botched Trevor Booker charge or the nosy Patrick Beverley hurting the Nets on the offensive glass, their lack of energy pushed their road hopes to the brink. If not for the suddenly cosmic Kilpatrick and Lin on offense, this might’ve been much, much worse.

As if they were stuck in a Samuel Beckett play, the Nets were futile in their attempts to get the score below 7 points — each time they neared their noble pursuit a prompt (and silly) turnover doomed them to double-digits again. But, those final five minutes — Lin’s minutes restriction — proved to be key, leading the Nets to a swift late-quarter run, including a rainbow three-pointer with 8 seconds left, to make it 90-85 after three quarters.

Huh? OK, then.

While the Nets attempted to tread water without Lin and Lopez, the Rockets continued to fire away from three with reckless abandon — nailing 15 of 39 through the first four minutes of the fourth quarter.

With exactly 5 minutes remaining, Lin checked in down 108-102 —  would the miracle man write the next chapter of his journey? Lin promptly picked off a pass and went coast-to-coast for a free bucket, officially announcing the return of those #PeskyNets. A long Joe Harris two-pointer would be wiped away after Harden flailed his way to two free throws, but the valiant Nets effort would continue.

Booker bowled his way through Anderson for a crucial And-1 and two back-to-back buckets from Lopez capped off an insane, frantic 7-0 run from the Nets. And, all of a sudden, the Nets were up 116-110 — mostly in part to a trio of heroics, but against Harden, there are no easy outs. After buckets from Gordon and Harden, Harris tied the game at 118-118.

Crucial split free throws from Nene and Ariza left the door open for the Nets with 8 seconds remaining, down 120-118. What could they come up with?

Take a deep breath… and…

Turnover.

Sigh.

Back to the drawing board.