FREED FROM THE SPELL
Nets finally get job done against lousy Wizards
The Nets had lost both of their previous meetings against lowly Washington, including the worst defensive performance in the entire NBA all season. On Sunday, they broke whatever hex the Wizards had on them.
The Nets got back to their winning ways, a 113-106 victory at Barclays Center.
“We just got enough stops,” said Steve Nash. “They’re a tough team for us to cover. We’d like us just to take that next step, but if you really look at the game, we gave up 20 points in the first five minutes, so we held them to 86 in 43 minutes. So pretty good when you take a step back and look at it.”
Kyrie Irving had a team-high 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists. James Harden had 26 points, eight assists, five boards, and even shrugged off a collision late in the first half to help lead the win in the second. Blake Griffin made his Nets debut and had two points in 15 minutes, a dunk that had the crowd roaring.
Washington’s Russell Westbrook had 29 points, 13 assists and 13 boards, but the Nets survived to win for the 15th time in the last 17 games. They stayed a game behind the East-leading 76ers.
The Nets (29-14) flipped a 14point first-half deficit into a twotouchdown second-quarter lead that they never surrendered. They did see it cut to 103-102 with three minutes in regulation, but they closed on a 10-4 run to put the contest away.
“We didn’t do a great job at loading up and getting back in transition. But then again, they only had 23 points in that fourth quarter, so that’s pretty solid,” Harden said. “It was mostly that first five minutes when we gave up 20 points. After that, we held them to 86, so it was pretty solid for the rest of the game.”
Irving had four points and two assists in that game-clinching run, both dimes going to Nic Claxton (16 points) for dunks and three-point plays.
“It felt good Kyrie passed me the ball, honestly. I’m used to him shooting, so it felt good when he passed me the ball,” said Claxton. “Finishing is easy: going up, dunking, using my athleticism and knocking down free throws. It’s being locked-in mentally, being ready. My name was called, and I was ready to go.”
So were the Nets — eventually. After having allowed 149 points in their Jan. 31 loss to Washington — the most surrendered by any team all season — the Nets fell behind 20-6 out of the gate on a Garrison Matthews 3 with 7:14 left in the first quarter.
But by 7:14 left in the second, they’d seized control with an extended 35-14 run — including reeling off nine unanswered points to open the second quarter.
When Irving picked off a Westbrook pass, it led to a Bruce Brown layup on the other end and 52-38 lead. They never gave it up, although they came close.
Brooklyn saw Washington close within 103-102 on a Westbrook layup with 3:01 to go in regulation. But Irving and Claxton sparked that 10-4 run to ensure there would be no overtime.
Harden shook off a collision just before the half, one that had him down on the court with a trainer working on his neck.
“I got hit in the jaw. My neck kind of twitched. I’ll be all right. It’s nothing,” said Harden. “Get some treatment on it, get some rest and be ready to go the next game.”
The Nets, who don’t force turnovers, forced 19 and turned them into 27 points.