NBA

Surprise workout pays off for Nets with win over Blazers

Next, five-mile desert hikes with full backpacks.

If getting them up early to attend a morning shootaround in a back-to-back situation can produce the kind of results the Nets got last night, a 98-96 victory over the Blazers in Newark, they can probably expect all sorts of wonderful tactics from coach Avery Johnson.

“As much as we love morning shootarounds on back-to-backs, let’s not make it a permanent thing,” said Devin Harris (25 points, eight assists), one of a long list of heroes (line forms to the right) who helped the Nets — and Johnson — erase the bitter taste from Saturday’s 102-86 flop in Philadelphia.

“They [the coaches] kind of questioned our effort a little bit in that fourth quarter so we understood he wanted to get that message across,” Harris said. “I think we got that point.”

After watching the Nets sleepwalk — when they were even walking — through the fourth quarter Saturday, Johnson ordered a morning session yesterday. There was lots of film. And lots of yelling.

“He was loud this morning,” said Brook Lopez, who scored 13 points last night. “He definitely didn’t like our effort from the last game.”

So rise and shine, up and at ’em, screams instead of bagels, film clips of mistakes instead of eggs. Johnson admitted he was sending a message.

“I just want them to know mediocrity is not something we should be satisfied with,” Johnson said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to send a little shock to their system and let them know mediocrity is not something that we strive for.”

Message sent, message received.

And nowhere was it more apparent than down the stretch. Revving revved up their defense and forcing the Blazers (8-8) into a critical 1-of-6, two-turnover stretch as the Nets (6-11), who trailed by a dozen in the third quarter, eventually broke an 89-89 tie when Harris nailed a 3-pointer at 1:12.

“It just felt like the right shot at the right time,” Harris said.

The Nets never trailed again.

“Man, they responded. Big character win for us,” Johnson proclaimed.

The Blazers, who got 21 hard-earned points from Brandon Roy (a combo of Anthony Morrow and Travis Outlaw late was superb) and 20 from LaMarcus Aldridge, only got as close as two the rest of the way. They were at 92-90 when Aldridge hit 1-of-2 at the line at :25.9 and then when the game ended they were within two after Wesley Matthews hit a pair of triples in the final :08.1. The Nets’ defense, fueled by the likes of Kris Humphries (10 points, eight rebounds, four blocks), was just too stout.

Humphries had three of his blocks in the third quarter and then had a huge score late in the fourth, putting the Nets up, 89-87, with a transition layup off a Harris feed at 1:49.

“That was a big play,” Johnson agreed.

Almost as big as Humphries’ interior presence.

“We’ve just got to win games,” said Humphries, who helped the Nets get 22 points and 14 rebounds from the power forward spot — combined with Derrick Favors and yes, Troy Murphy. “I think it shows growth. We had some tough losses that really hurt us. That game in Philly was one of those games where you’re going to look back, when you’re trying to fight for position — if we get to that point, and hopefully we do — we’re going to be like, ‘Man, we needed that game.’ ”

And they were reminded of that in a most uncomfortable way yesterday. In the morning. After a night game.

fred.kerber@nypost.com