Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal scored six points in an impressive 3.8-second streak that propelled the Washington Wizards to a 149-146 comeback victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.
“At the moment, we have nothing to lose,” said Westbrook. “It’s winning or going home.”
The Wizards, who lost five points with the kick timer off, appeared to be on their way to their fifth straight loss.
“Honestly, Ish (Smith) just told me to push and pull,” said Beal after the game. “That’s all we could have done in that situation.”
It worked.
Beal ran across the court and pulled to hit a 3-point basket that placed Washington two points from Brooklyn with 8.1 seconds remaining. As Nets striker Joe Harris moved quickly towards the ball’s entry into the baseline, teammate Kevin Durant advanced towards the basket. The lack of communication allowed the Wizards to guard Garrison Mathews to steal the ball in the corner and distribute it to Westbrook, who buried another 3 with 4.3 seconds to play.
With the Wizards clinging to a one point lead, the Nets took a break. When the game resumed, Nets guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot managed to get a good look at a tray in the final two seconds of the game, but his attempt went over the edge.
Two free throws made by Beal sealed Washington’s victory.
“We had that game,” said Nets guard Kyrie Irving. “It should have been ours, so we just look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we can fix as individuals and as a group – especially in the effort. I was getting a little frustrated. “
The Nets led by up to 18 points at Capital One Arena and had three 25-point scorers in Harris, Irving and Durant. The Wizards and Nets’ 295 combined points were the second game without overtime with the highest score in the past 25 seasons, according to the ESPN Stats & Information survey.
But defensively, Brooklyn continued to fight. The Nets lost 72 points in the painting, tied for their third highest allowed number in a game in the past 25 seasons, and the highest allowed number in a game since 2017. Beal managed to score 22 of his 37 total points in the fourth period. The Wizards overcame the Nets 12-2 in clutch time.
“It was the first game in the whole year that I had a White Claw,” said Wizards coach Scott Brooks. “I wanted to enjoy it. It feels good. I wanted our players to like it. We fight. We fight a lot. … We did it all year and the basketball gods gave us a chance tonight.”
The defensive issues of the Nets allowed the Wizards to stay in the game. While the final sequence of the game seemed to be the culmination of the Nets ‘collapse, Irving said that Harris’ turn and the subsequent 3 were a “microcosm” of the problems that plagued Brooklyn all night.
“It’s not out of play,” added Harris. “But at the same time, I mean, if I hadn’t done it (the turn), we wouldn’t be sitting here talking about losses.”
Nets coach Steve Nash called Harris’ upset “an unfortunate moment” but said he was not to blame for the defeat.
“When you give up 149 points, it’s a mistake in about 50 defensive lapses,” said Nash. “So it’s not good enough defensively, and we can look at the lost layup or the turn to the 3 there, but we shouldn’t be in that position. We had a big advantage at the beginning and let them stay for a long time, a long time until their confidence would increase. They are a desperate (group) in search of victory, and we gave them a chance and gave them life. “
For Durant, “This is one that you need to get rid of”.