The Nets are less bad than the Wizards

This week, the Wizards host the Nets in a matchup between two of the season’s most compelling teams, all looking for their second win of the season. From the start, Bilal Coulibaly (6 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists) stands out with a huge poster on Yegor Demin, but Nick Claxton and Michael Porter Jr. (34 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) immediately answer with dunks, which tied the two teams (18-18). After twelve minutes, parity still reigned, before Brooklyn took control thanks to a flawless 6/6 shooting to start the second quarter. The guests thus escaped to a ten-point advantage, which was their biggest deficit in the match at that moment (48-38).

Three minutes before the break, Alexander Saar (9 points, 3 rebounds, 4/12 shooting) followed with a dunk and then the winning shot for 8-0, which Washington reached within six lengths (56-50). Despite this start, Brooklyn returns to the locker room with a ten-point cushion (63-53).

The beginning of the third quarter was marked by numerous mistakes on the part of the Wizards, which allowed the Nets to maintain the lead, while Keshaun George (29 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) had a great start to his second half. But another powerful dunk by Bilal Coulibaly, followed by a long-range dunk by C.J. McCollum (17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists), suddenly revived the match. The two plays were part of a 7-0 run that put Washington within three points (82-79). Unfortunately for the home team, the defense immediately disorganized, and Brooklyn used the opportunity to re-create a ten-point deficit at the beginning of the last quarter (94-84).

This time there will be no going back. The Nets played the final twelve minutes and won big, 129 to 106, securing their second win of the season, while the Wizards suffered their eleventh straight loss.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

Second win for the Nets. In the Capitals and still without Cam Thomas, the Nets avoided their fifth straight loss and finally won their second game of the season. For this, we still needed the great Michael Porter Jr., the author of 34 points, but Tyrese Martin also shone from the bench with 20 points. He came up big at the end of the third quarter with three straight baskets that allowed Brooklyn to regain a ten-point lead, a deficit the Wizards were never able to close.

The Wizards defense is still fragile. Several times the Wizards had a chance to get back into the game, especially in the third quarter. Thanks to CJ McCollum, Washington was able to get back to within one point, but they couldn’t make the defensive stops necessary to tie or go ahead. Even worse, all of their efforts came to nothing in just 90 seconds at the end of this third act where they let Tyrese Martin shine to give the Nets some breathing room.

Clumsy French. If Bilal Coulibaly showed great defensive aggressiveness like two interceptions and two counterattacks, offensively it was more complicated. Although he had two big dunks, those were his only two baskets of the night and he finished 2/6 on the field. Same case with Alexander Sara who finished with nine points on 4/12 shooting and 1/3 from beyond the arc. This basket of only 3 points was also scored after an assist by Bilal Coulibaly.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.