The Washington Wizards wanted to remove all doubt, erase any suspense, and avoid finding themselves in any situation that remotely resembled their last meeting with the Brooklyn Nets. That heartbreaking double-overtime loss last month was still fresh on their minds as they unleashed a decisive 89-74 defeat on a team that entered the game tied for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
In a game that featured more solid team play, more spectacular plays from John Wall, more marksmanship from Martell Webster, more interior dominance from Nene, and more suffocating defense, the Wizards got some revenge and have now won three in a row and eight of nine overall at home.
Nene had his second double-double in a row, getting team highs with 20 points and 10 rebounds and winning his individual duel against Nets all-star center Brook Lopez. Webster connected on three three-pointers and scored 16 points. Wall had 15 points and nine assists and brought fans out of their seats in the fourth quarter, when whirled the ball around his waist, stopped in front of two defenders and flipped an underhand pass to Trevor Ariza for a slam dunk that put the Wizards ahead by 16 points.
The Wizards (14-35) owe somewhat of a debt of gratitude to the Nets, with their double-overtime loss last month setting them up for their recent run of dominance at Verizon Center. That 115-113 loss on Jan. 4 — which featured a bizarre overtime meltdown in which the Wizards blew an eight-point lead with 75 seconds remaining and a buzzer-beating jumper by Nets guard Joe Johnson — helped establish a style of play that the Wizards have used to win 10 of their past 17 games.
Wall practiced for the first time the day before the Wizards lost to Brooklyn, with players crediting his presence for uplifting the energy level and focus in practice. Wall didn’t make his debut until a week later against Atlanta. Since he has come back, the Wizards have gone 9-7, including 7-1 at home, with four wins coming by double digits.
Bradley Beal returned after missing the previous five games with a sore right wrist, but was limited to just three points on 1-for-5 shooting in 18 minutes. Beal’s only made basket came late in the first quarter, when he drilled a three-pointer off the glass to give the Wizards a 21-20 lead.
The Wizards didn’t have to worry about trailing the rest of the game, after having one of their most dominant defensive performances of the season. They forced Brooklyn into missing their first 12 shots of the period and held them without a field goal until Lopez finally made a layup to bring his team within 40-24 with 3:36 left in the half.
Lopez’s shot ended a nearly nine-minute scoring drought for the Nets, but the Wizards would go on to expand the lead behind Webster, who scored seven consecutive points, making a difficult turnaround jumper that put them ahead 49-28. The Wizards held the Nets to just 11 points on 4-for-22 shooting in the period and entered the locker room with a 51-31 lead — their most lopsided halftime lead of the season.
Emeka Okafor made an awkward turnaround jumper to give the Wizards a 62-39 lead with with six minutes left in the third period and the team went silent. With a flurry of bad passes and more questionable shots, the Wizards allowed the Nets to go on a 14-0 run, getting within 62-53 when point guard Deron Williams stole the ball from reserve A.J. Price and sprinted up the floor for an easy layup. Price answered with a three-pointer from the right corner to shut down the run.
Williams made another three-pointer to get Brooklyn within 11, but Wall responded by feeding Webster in the right corner with a three-pointer, then he rebounded a Williams miss, darted up the floor and fed Ariza for the dunk. As fans shot up and applauded, Wall shouted a few words. His presence said enough.
Former Wizard Andray Blatche, who was amnestied last July after several disappointing seasons, was able to escape with a win in his last visit but Wizards fans reveled in his failures in the rematch. Blatche was booed every time he touched the ball and responded to the jeers with more poor play. He shot just 2 for 9, missing a dunk and having another dunk attempt blocked by Nene, and was 1 for 6 from the foul line. In the final minutes, fans used an unfavorable chant directed toward Blatche.
Williams led the Nets (29-21) with 20 points. Johnson had 14 and Lopez had 13.
