After ranking at or near the bottom of the circuit’s defensive rankings for the first month-and-a-half of the campaign, the Nets (11-15) have yielded just over 97 points per contest over this five-game stretch to begin December, which is well below their 108.3-point season average.

They have also won three of their last four games, and five of eight overall to climb within 2 ½ games of the final playoff spot in the East, a position they can enhance Thursday night when the arch rival Knicks (14-13) visit the corners of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues.

“I think it’s just heart, really,” said Allen Crabbe, whose clutch 3-pointer off a feed from Spencer Dinwiddie with 44 seconds remaining put Brooklyn in front for good after the Nets had squandered a double-digit second-half lead.

“You can’t teach defense. I think it’s all effort. Guys are buying in,” he added. “Everybody is buying in, you see the team jumping up on the sidelines and encouraging us. I feel like we have taken individual defense pretty seriously.”

The Nets’ opponents would agree.

In its last four games, Brooklyn has yielded 96 points per contest, enabling head coach Kenny Atkinson’s unit to put together three wins in a four-game stretch for the first time since Oct. 20-25.

The Nets also won the battle along the boards vs. Washington, 53-49.

“No doubt about it. It was our defense entirely,” Atkinson said of the win, which snapped Brooklyn’s seven-game losing streak against Washington.

“I think we held them to 20 [points] in the fourth quarter …  And then I thought we rebounded the ball. That was my big fear, they miss and there’s an extra possession. Our guys did a good job rebounding and finishing the play.”

Recently acquired center Jahlil Okafor and shooting guard Nik Stauskas were both dressed and ready to go for the Brooklyn debuts, but Atkinson opted to stick to the rotation that has kept the Nets relevant this season, at least until the two new arrivals work their way into their respective roles.

Caris LeVert and Dinwiddie worked well together in the back court, making it easier to deal with the loss of injured guards Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell.

LeVert had 16 points and eight assists and Dinwiddie contributed 11 points and a career-high 12 helpers for the Nets, who outscored Washington in every quarter except the second just days after returning from their international two-game set in Mexico City, where they beat Oklahoma City and lost to Miami.

“I was pleasantly surprised at our energy,” Atkinson noted. “I thought we had great energy. Definitely worried about the trip and the travel but the guys did a great job. Great job by our performance team.”

“It was definitely big. I think we’re turning up right now,” added Dinwiddie as Brooklyn prepared to play three of its next four games at home. “We’ve been playing better basketball as of late, even with the Miami Heat loss. I just think we’re kind of starting to see the trend going up.”

The Nets are certainly trending upward, and have been doing so without two of their most important players in Lin and Russell.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 16 points and 12 rebounds, DeMarre Carroll added 15 points and eight boards and Crabbe finished with 13 points, including the biggest shot of the contest, despite going a brutal 3-for-15 from the field.

“That’s why I’m here, to shoot the ball,” said Crabbe. “I understand I’m not going to be 10-for-10 every night from the three-point line.”

Normally a night that featured a collective 23 percent (10-of-43) shooting performance from 3-point range, coupled with the squandering of a big lead in the second half, would result in an instant Nets loss.

But with a renewed focus on defense and a resiliency in the face of duress, these Brooklyn ballers are finding ways to win, something that will serve them well as they continue to pursue a brighter forecast for the future.

“I think we’re just coming out with attention to detail that we might not have had before, playing harder, and our defense has been a little bit better,” said Dinwiddie.

Nothing But Net: Sharing the wealth has also been a key to the Nets’ recent resurgence. After handing out at least 24 assists just three times in their first 13 games, the Nets have reached or surpassed that amount in helpers in 11 of their last 13 games … Tyler Zeller, quietly doing effective work for the Nets in the paint and on the boards, amassed 12 points and eight rebounds against the Wizards on Tuesday night … Fast-developing rookie big man Jarrett Allen made the most of his 20 minutes off the bench vs. Washington, putting up 11 points to go with two rebounds and two blocked shots.

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