Brooklyn Nets: 3 things to watch against slumping Wizards

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Brooklyn Nets Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

The Brooklyn Nets take a 3-game winning streak into Friday’s matchup at home against the Washington Wizards, losers of their last three games.

While it might be a bit early to be watching scoreboards, the Brooklyn Nets have an opportunity to make a nice jump up the Eastern Conference standings with a win at Barclays Center Friday night against the sliding Washington Wizards.

The Nets (11-18) come in with three straight victories and can jump not only the Wizards (11-17) with a win Friday, but a loss by the Miami Heat on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies would push Brooklyn into a virtual tie for ninth place in the East.

Washington arrives for the first of two visits to Brooklyn this season having dropped three straight games, including a 130-125 overtime loss at home Wednesday to the Boston Celtics.

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Streaky has been an operative word for the Wizards all season. Besides their current skid, the Wizards had a five-game losing streak early in the season, have lost consecutive games four different times and have had a pair of three-game winning streaks.

Of course, Brooklyn hasn’t exactly been a metronome of stability in terms of results this season, either, with two three-game winning streaks to go with a string of eight straight losses and two shorter slides of three games each.

The Wizards are dealing with some injury issues, with center Dwight Howard out for another six to 10 weeks at a minimum after undergoing back surgery late last month, while Otto Porter is questionable Friday with a right knee contusion that kept him out Wednesday.

For the Nets, Allen Crabbe is questionable with a sore right knee, a result of a hard fall after being fouled in Wednesday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers, while Treveon Graham and Caris LeVert remain out with long-term injuries.

Here are three things to watch as the Nets, who split two games in Washington earlier this season, take on the Wizards, with a 7:30 p.m. Eastern tip set from Barclays Center.