Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from 118-110 loss to Brooklyn Nets
By Ethan Smith
The Washington Wizards were unable to get a much-needed win vs. the Brooklyn Nets.
The Washington Wizards are still winless within the bubble. In their second of eight seeding games before the NBA playoffs begin, the Wizards were unable to gain valuable ground on the postseason race and fell to the depleted Brooklyn Nets 118-110.
For as undermanned as the Wizards are in the bubble – currently without Bradley Beal, John Wall, and Davis Bertans – the Nets are missing even more pieces. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, and Wilson Chandler are all sitting out the restart.
But the Nets still have Caris LeVert out there, and that proved to be the difference in this one. Despite monster games from Thomas Bryant (30 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks) and Troy Brown Jr. (22 points, ten rebounds, eight assists), LeVert’s game-high 34 points were too much.
Despite entering the fourth quarter up by two, the Wizards weren’t able to hold on as LeVert exploded for 14 points in the final frame. A double-double from Jarrett Allen and some lights out shooting from Joe Harris (6/7 3PA) didn’t help either.
The Brooklyn Nets now sit 7.0 games ahead of the Washington Wizards, who now have just six games to pull within 4.0 games or less to force a playoff play-in.