Brooklyn Nets Run Out of Magic Against Wizards, Lose Thriller in Overtime

147. 114. 142. Final. 110

The Brooklyn Nets lost in a depressing fashion, 114-110, on the tail-end of a back-to-back against the Washington Wizards. Bojan Bogdanovic was a bright spot for Brooklyn while Bradley Beal shined for the Wizards with 31 points.

Jeremy Lin was sidelined for the Brooklyn Nets in this contest, still nursing a hamstring injury. The Washington Wizards came into this matchup fully healthy, as Ian Mahinmi was recently cleared to play after sustaining a string of knee injuries.

Brooklyn sat at a measly 9-43 record coming into this game, while Washington seemed to finally be finding their stride as of recent. Led by the dynamic backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, the Wizards currently sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference. They had won nine of their last 11 games as they marched into Brooklyn.

The Nets came out of the gates strong in this one, similarly to how they have in numerous contests this season. The glaring question was: will they choke another game away or will they be able to sustain this masterful play in the long run? Bojan Bogdanovic, who has been shooting 50 percent from the field in February, scored eight of team’s first 10 points.

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This stretch of good Nets play on both sides of the ball was quick to end, as per usual during this losing streak. Otto Porter notched two three-pointers, which only reinforced his efficient 46 percent shooting rate from behind the arc this season. Bradley Beal, a borderline All-Star this season, brought the Wizards to a comfortable eight-point lead as the opening quarter winded down. The University of Florida alum netted 14 points in the first quarter.

Mahinmi, playing in only his second game this season, pushed Washington’s lead to double digits late in the first quarter.

Brooklyn trailed 31-22 heading into the second quarter of play.

Joe Harris, who has solidified his role this season as a reliable spot of shooter on the wing, headed a Brooklyn comeback to kick off the second quarter. Harris knocked down his first two three-point attempts of the night.

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The Nets’ turnover issues were evident for a large part of this contest. Halfway through the second quarter, Washington had already logged eight points off of five Brooklyn turnovers. Wall in particular fed off these turnovers to create multiple opportunities for his teammates. He had dished out seven assists by the end of the second quarter.

Caris LeVert returned to action in this contest after sitting out last night’s game due to knee soreness. The rookie out of the University of Michigan hit a three and another smooth jumper to cut the deficit to single digits as halftime approached.

However, Wall was simply too much for the Nets’ frail defense to handle, which set Washington up for a healthy lead going into the locker room. The Nets trailed 59-49 heading into the second half.

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Brooklyn, who is still looking to hit double-digit wins on the season, came out of the locker room in an underwhelming fashion. Free-throw shooting was a sore spot for the Nets by the beginning of the second half, only nailing 68 percent of their shots from the stripe. Kenny Atkinson began to experiment as the game went on, including playing LeVert at point guard for a short stint. The 6-foot-7 guard generated several turnovers and failed to consistently create for his teammates while playing in this role.

Washington’s lead hovered around 10 points for a majority of the third quarter. However, in the last two minutes, the Nets began making strides to regain the momentum of the game. The Wizards led 79-72 after three quarters.

Shockingly, a battle between each team’s backup point guard ensued to begin the fourth. For only a few minutes, Isaiah Whitehead and Trey Burke went back and forth on every possession. Ultimately, Whitehead won this short-lived battle as the Nets cut the lead to four.

Wizards coach Scott Brooks’ frustration with his team’s collapse became evident as he was given a technical foul early in the fourth. The Nets were able to tie the score at 89 with six minutes left in regulation.

Both teams were in a stalemate as crunch-time loomed. A series of badly missed threes from Bogdanovic gave the Wizards a plethora of opportunities to take control in the middle of the final quarter.

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The contest then became a back-and-forth affair, with the outcome still being very much up in the air with two minutes remaining. Brooklyn’s chances of coming out on top were greatly inhibited when Brook Lopez picked up his sixth foul with a minute left in the fourth.

With 41 seconds left to play and the scored tied, Brooklyn was in desperate need of a stop. Wall and Bogdanovic both missed shots, followed by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson taking a charge, giving the Nets a shot at winning the game with less than a second left. A final heave from Trevor Booker failed to connect, resulting in overtime basketball at Barclays Center.

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In overtime, Brooklyn immediately took their first lead since the first quarter off of an RHJ tip-in. Booker logged a series of easy buckets to put the Nets in the driver’s seat down the stretch.

However, with the Nets lacking a true point guard on the floor, Wall began having his way in every aspect of the game. He singlehandedly put his team ahead by four with a minute left.

Washington then grabbed a plethora of offensive rebounds to turn the tide of the game for good. Ultimately, the Wizards walked away with the win, 114-110. Washington improved to 31-21 on the season, while Brooklyn fell to 9-44.

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The Nets will take on Miami Friday night at Barclays Center. They will yet again look to gain their elusive tenth win of the season.