Finally, after over two weeks and seven losses, the Nets got back in a winning mood Friday night as they crushed, not just beat, the Wizards, who were 17-4 at the Verizon Center before the game.
Brook Lopez, whose name has been featured in various trade rumors the past two days, dominated the Washington frontcourt for 26 points in just 23 minutes of play on 8-14 shooting. He also got to the free throw line 12 times, making 10 of his attempts. Jarrett Jack, who was also discussed in a potential deal, also couldn’t be stopped as he severely outplayed John Wall to the tune of 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
The Nets looked pretty good as this game started but let the Wizards roll off a first quarter-ending 9-0 run that gave them a 24-18 lead.
However, Brooklyn responded immediately in the next quarter by going on their own run–a 7-0 one–to regain the lead before stringing together some buckets and stops to take a three-point advantage into halftime. A big shot in that stretch was a Mason Plumlee three-point play which gave the Nets a lead they would hold throughout other than during a small portion of the third quarter.
Outscoring Washington 84-56 over the final three quarters, the Nets looked like the desperate team while the Wizards looked a little disinterested and never really put up a fight. Brooklyn never allowed Washington’s youth and athleticism–John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for just 20 points and a -40 rating–to get out in transition, instead forcing the Wizards to take bad shots in halfcourt possessions.
Even with this said, back-to-back threes from Wall and Paul Pierce tied up the score at 51 midway through the third quarter.
But then, Brooklyn broke the game open with a 12-1 run that essentially sealed the game as a win for the visiting team. Lopez and Jack each scored 11 points in the quarter as they totally had their way with some really bad Washington that allowed the pair to penetrate with ease as well as take wide open mid-range jumpers. It’s a wonder what ball movement does for an offense.
When Jack hit a layup after a blocked Lopez shot went right to his hands under the hoop, the Nets had to know it was their day. The shot, with just 27 seconds left in the third quarter, gave Brooklyn a 71-56 lead that would increase to as much as 24 points in fourth quarter garbage time. It’s nice to not have to worry about a win for once.
Assorted thoughts: Clearly, Lopez and Jack were woken up by the trade rumors both were involved in this week. Each of them played with incredible purpose and aggressiveness tonight and easily won their respective matchups. Lopez has been a complete mixed bag while Jack has certainly has had his efficiency problems this season. But, for once, they both were on point at the same time and made the Nets nearly unstoppable. Sure, they did take a lot of jumpers–maybe some ridiculous ones–but if they’re falling, it’s hard to criticize those types of shots….Plumlee put together another double-double with 11 points and 10 to help with the load on both ends of the floor. Hard to be upset with how consistent he has been recently. By the way, the Nets won the rebounding battle and shot better from the field, three-point range and free throw line than the Wizards. What do you know?….It’s good the Nets had those three guys playing well because Joe Johnson and Bojan Bogdanovic were not shooting well at all. The swingmen shot just a combined 5-20 from the floor. Positive is that neither committed any turnovers, a main reason why Brooklyn committed 10 as a team compared to the 19 the Wizards committed. I like that ratio….Kevin Garnett returned from his suspension and scored four points with five boards in his 18 minutes. Maybe Lionel Hollins limited him a bit so he can play tomorrow night?….Markel Brown, rarely used rookie, made both of the jumpers he took in garbage time and both were swishes. Probably shouldn’t mean much but maybe he gets a look in the future when the Nets, inevitably, go on another scoring slump….Paul Pierce, playing his first game against the Nets since he was a Celtic, made just two shots–both threes–in 25 minutes and posted a -21 rating. He also flagrantly fouled Bojan on a fastbreak in the second half. Not the best showing from The Truth….The Wizards swept the season series from the Nets in the 2013-14 season so this was a big win for Brooklyn in more than one way. Turning point? Possibly.
Onto the next one: Tomorrow night against this same Wizards team at Barclays Center
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
