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 "It always feels good to get a win; it doesn't matter where it
is," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "I thought tonight was as
good a game as we've played in a long time from start to finish."
Guard John Wall had 21 points and six assists to lead the Wizards
(11-13) to their second straight win even though Nets forward Paul
Pierce showed glimpses of his former self with a season-high 27
points off the bench.
"I am just starting to get things going after the start of the
season," Pierce said. "My hand is feeling good; my groin is feeling
good. (I'm) understanding the system and understanding my spots.
That's about it."
The Nets (9-16) found themselves playing catchup most of the night,
but they managed to do so effectively, having answers to many
Wizards runs. Washington's leads were created off Wall's dynamic
play, as his vision and speed left plenty of openings in Brooklyn's
defense.
"We knew they were going to make a run," Wall said. "We stuck with
ourselves though. We know that no team is ever out of it and we just
stayed calm. We trusted our offense and moved the ball."
Down 10 with nine minutes left, the Nets tried to mount one more
comeback and pulled within one on two occasions with less than three
minutes remaining. A 3-pointer from guard Bradley Beal put the
Wizards up by six with just over a minute remaining, putting the
Nets away.
"We all know that it's a game of runs," Beal said. "And I think we
did a great job sticking to our concepts and executing down the
stretch and getting stops when we needed to. I don't ever force
anything. If I get going, I get going."
Long-range shooting was Washington's scoring source early, as the
Wizards went 9-for-12 from 3-point range in the first half. The
Wizards hit just 3 of 8 3-pointers the rest of the night, but Beal's
proved to be the largest.
Wall, Beal and forward Trevor Ariza combined to hit 9 of 16 from
beyond the arc. Both Beal and Ariza had 15 points and three
3-pointers.
"They got some great looks," Nets head coach Jason Kidd said. "This
Washington team lives by the three, especially when they have guys
shooting over 40 percent."
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Nets center Brook Lopez, who made his return after missing
two games with a sprained left ankle, handled Washington's
frontcourt duo of Marcin Gortat and Nene just fine. Lopez scored
22 points and hauled in five rebounds despite sitting out the
entire third quarter.
"I felt fine," Lopez said. "I am definitely disappointed in
myself though. I felt a little rusty. I was a step slow."
Nene, back after missing four games with right foot tendinitis,
scored 17 points.
"I play off him and he plays off me," Beal said. "It's a good
duo. It's definitely great to have him back out there. He's a
big presence scoring the ball, defending and rebounding."
After his 29-point third quarter and 37-point overall
performance Monday, Nets guard Joe Johnson was held to a more
modest 20 with a team-high seven rebounds Wednesday. Guard Deron
Williams recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 assists.
Trailing by 11 midway through the first quarter, Brooklyn
rallied after the introduction of Pierce. The Nets hit their
first six shots with the veteran on the court and went on a 14-5
run.
"I have adjusted. I have been a starter my whole career and I am
making an adjustment as a player coming off the bench," Pierce
said. "You just have to watch the game, help the guys on the
sideline. You get a chance to see and understand what is going
on out there instead of starting out the game."
With Wall on the bench for nine minutes in the first half, the
Nets managed to keep up with the Wizards. Once the fourth-year
man out of Kentucky returned, Washington's pace quickened and
its lead expanded back to 10 before the Nets shaved it to six at
halftime.
NOTES: The Nets had won four of their previous five games. ...
Wizards G John Wall began the night ranked second in the NBA
with 9.3 assists per game and fourth in steals per game at 2.13.
... The Wizards snapped a four-game losing-streak with a 102-101
win over the New York Knicks on Monday night.
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