Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal took a quick six points in a stunning 3.8 second run that propelled the Washington Wizards to a 149-146 comeback on the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.
“We have nothing to lose at this point,” said Westbrook. “It’s either winning or going home.”
The Wizards, five points behind with the shot clock out, seemed on their way to a fifth straight defeat.
“Honestly, Ish (Smith) just told me to push and pull it,” Beal said after the game. “That’s all we could have done in that situation.”
It worked.
Beal sprinted onto the field and stopped to grab a 3-pointer that put Washington two points behind Brooklyn with 8.1 seconds left. While Nets moved forward Joe Harris to get the ball in quickly to the baseline, teammate Kevin Durant cut to the basket. The miscommunication allowed Wizards guard Garrison Mathews to steal the ball in the corner and hand it out to Westbrook, who buried 3 more with 4.3 seconds to play.
With the Wizards holding on to a one-point lead, the Nets time-out. When play resumed, Nets guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot managed to get a good look at a lay-up in the last two seconds of the game, but his attempt rolled off the edge.
Beal’s two free throws sealed Washington’s victory.
“We had that game,” said Nets security guard Kyrie Irving. “It should have been ours, so we just look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we can correct as individuals and as a group – especially in terms of effort. I couldn’t guard a stick today. Those guys were just fine. , and I got a little frustrated. “
The Nets led a whopping 18 points in Capital One Arena and had three scorers of 25 points in Harris, Irving and Durant. The Wizards and Nets’ combined 295 points were the second highest scoring non-overtime game in the past 25 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
But Brooklyn continued to struggle defensively. The Nets conceded 72 points in the paint, were tied for their third most allowed in a game of the past 25 seasons, and the most allowed in a game since 2017. Beal managed to score 22 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter. . The Wizards outdid the Nets 12-2 in clutch time.
“It was the first game of the whole year that I had a White Claw,” said Wizards coach Scott Brooks. “I wanted to enjoy it. This is a good feeling. I wanted our players to enjoy it. We fought. We fought hard … We did it all year and the basketball gods gave us a break tonight.”
The Nets’ defensive problems allowed the Wizards to stay in the game. While the final streak of the game seemed to be the pinnacle of the Nets ‘dropout, Irving said Harris’ turnover and the subsequent three were a “microcosm” of the troubles that plagued Brooklyn all night.
“It doesn’t come in one piece,” Harris added. “But at the same time I mean: if I hadn’t made (the turnover), we wouldn’t be talking about a loss here.”
Nets coach Steve Nash called Harris’ turnover “an unfortunate moment,” but said it was not to blame for the loss.
“If you give up 149 points, that’s one mistake in about 50 defensive rounds,” said Nash. So defensively not good enough, and we can look at the missed lay-up or the turnover for the 3 there, but we shouldn’t have been in that position. We had a big lead early on and we let them stay long, long. time until their confidence grew. They’re a desperate (group) looking for a win, and we’ve given them a chance and given them life. “
For Durant: “This is one you just have to get rid of.”