The Nets finally had their enough-is-enough moment and they think it could be the start of something.

Time will tell about that, but for 48 minutes last night, the Nets looked like an NBA team. It’s been a long time since they have.

They showed heart and played with pride, passion and purpose. They played defense, withstood runs, hit shots and showed some mental and physical toughness.

The Nets finally put all of that together and the result was a 103-87 victory over the Clippers that not only ended an 11-game losing streak but also gave them their first victory of 2010.

“We just made sure that every play, we compete,” Chris Douglas-Roberts said. “When we compete, this is the NBA, any team can beat any team. But we competed the whole game and I think that was the first time in a long time.”

It probably was the first time since Dec. 30, 2009 –- the last time the Nets won a game.

They battled against the Hornets and Spurs during this losing skid -– and probably should have won the game in New Orleans. But this was the first time since the calendar turned, and perhaps the first time all season, that the Nets looked like they were going to do whatever it took to win their fourth game of the season.

And it started from the beginning, when the Nets built a 16-point first-half lead. Usually, they’re down by 16 in the first six minutes, but they came out assertively and with an attitude that had been lacking.

Making it more impressive, they did it without their starting backcourt. Devin Harris had a sprained right wrist and Courtney Lee had a wisdom tooth pulled. But they were among the Nets’ cheerleaders, smiling and applauding the effort -– and it was justified.

Newcomer Kris Humphries was everywhere, playing with intensity and finishing with a career-best 25 points. Brook Lopez and Humphries helped the Nets get out to the big lead with their first-half scoring and work inside defensively.

Rookie Terrence Williams put together a solid game, the type expected when they drafted him as he filled the stat sheet with seven points, eight assists and nine rebounds.

But the Nets’ veterans were huge, the same ones who played big last year. Keyon Dooling -- starting for Harris -- and Jarvis Hayes hit big shots in the fourth quarter, were calming influences and showed the leadership the Nets needed to get this victory.

Dooling had offseason hip surgery and hasn’t been able to consistently play up to his normal level. But he had 18 points last night and hit some huge shots after the Clippers made runs.

“Tonight was the first game where I saw a flash of the way Keyon can play,” coach Kiki Vandeweghe said.

There are probably some saying the same about the Nets.

The truth is that they shouldn’t be as bad as they have been and when you see them play this way, it only drums it home. It doesn’t mean they’re a playoff-caliber team, but there is no reason the Nets can’t compete with most teams in the league and win some games.

All it takes is a little effort. It cures plenty of ills and makes up for some mistakes.

“I don’t think we’re not a talentless team,” Dooling said. “If you play hard, play the right way, the basketball gods will reward you.

“If you play it pure, if someone’s open and you pass it to him, and you minimized defensive mistakes, the game will be good to you. And we haven’t done that the whole season. We do it in stretches, but not long enough to win an NBA game.”

They did it last night and they think it could be the start of something. Play this way consistently and put a winning streak together on this relatively easy homestand and maybe someone will believe it.

Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)