Nets End 2016 By Getting Blown Out Against Wizards

Dec 30, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) and Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) battle for a rebound in the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) and Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13) battle for a rebound in the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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118. 142. 95. 147. Final

The Brooklyn Nets traveled to Washington, D.C. to take on the Wizards for their last game of 2016. To end the year, Brooklyn lost in the national’s capital, 95-118.

What a year it’s been for the Brooklyn Nets, as they stand at 8-24 at the end of 2016. In their final matchup of the year, they took on the Washington Wizards and were blown out, losing 95-118.

The Nets got off to a quick start, scoring the first five points of the game, but that was quickly extinguished by a 7-0 Wizards run. Washington led for the rest of the first quarter, going up by as much as eight. This was largely due to Brooklyn’s turnovers, as the Nets committed seven turnovers in the first quarter and trailed 23-31 at the end of the first period.

The Wizards continued to pull away in the second quarter, beginning the period on a 7-2 run to take a 13-point lead. Trey Burke scored five of the Wizards’ points on this run. It was all Washington for the rest of the period, as they led by as much as 17.

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Burke led both teams with 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field at the end of the first half. Two other Wizards, John Wall and Otto Porter Jr., were in double figures at halftime, scoring 15 points and 10 points, respectively.

No Nets were in double figures at that point, with Trevor Booker and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson leading the team with eight points apiece. Brooklyn also turned the ball over four more times in the second quarter, for a total of 11 turnovers at halftime.

A couple of threes from Bojan Bogdanovic and Trevor Booker brought the Nets within 13, 63-76 with 7:13 remaining in the third. These six points were part of a 10-0 Brooklyn run, but Washington answered back with two easy dunks. The Nets cut the Wizards’ lead to as little as 11 in the third, but for the most part, the two teams traded buckets throughout the period, as Brooklyn only outscored Washington by two points, 27 to 25, in the third quarter.

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In the final period, the Nets once again cut into the Wizards’ lead, getting as close as 12, 83-95, but within another minute, Washington extended their lead back to 17. It was all Wizards the rest of the way, as they outscored the Nets 27-18 in the fourth quarter.

Booker and Hollis-Jefferson both finished with a team-high 16 points. Bogdanovic and rookie Caris LeVert added 12 points apiece. For the Wizards, Burke finished with a game-high 27 points. Wall and Marcin Gortat each contributed 19 points.

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Brooklyn returns home to host the Utah Jazz in the new year on January 2. The Wizards’ next matchup is also on January 2, as they’ll travel to Houston to take on the Rockets.