Jordi Fernandez reveals the key to Brooklyn’s success after a dominant win over the Wizards

Victories, let alone ones out of power, were a foreign concept Brooklyn Nets this season. However, the rebuilding team got a taste of dominance during Sunday’s road matchup with the underdogs Washington Wizards. The Nets defeated their tank rival 129-106 in front of a sparse crowd at the Capital One Center.

Both teams entered the match with one win, fighting for position in the draw table. However, the Nets put forth their best effort of the season, completely outscoring a Wizards team that is several years away from rebuilding. After trailing by double digits, Washington cut the deficit to one in the third quarter, but Brooklyn responded with a 23-4 run en route to the lopsided victory.

“We didn’t lose a single quarter. I think that’s extremely important in an NBA game. There were moments in the third quarter, they ran, and that bench group responded,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “You get hit and then you hit back. And those are the moments where you see the growth, and the group comes together… I think everyone came together. The group together. Noah (Clownie) struggled a little bit to start the game, and then he made all those shots. Tyrese (Martin) was very solid… Winning the last two key minutes in the league is very solid now… we put four quarters together. It wasn’t perfect at all times, but I’m proud of the group and I’m very proud of the fight.

Although the Nets are far from a solid team, they are playing their best basketball this season in a long time. They pushed the Orlando Magic to the brink on Friday, they led 98-94 with 1:58 left before collapsing in the final minutes.

Nets turn in best all-around performance of season during win over Wizards

Michael Porter Jr. gave the Nets the lead in Orlando, and he did it again in Washington, only this time he finished the job. The 6-foot-10 forward turned in his best performance of the season Sunday, posting 34 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on 11-of-18 shooting. Nick Claxton also continued his high-level play with 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four blocks on 5-of-7 shooting.

The duo combined for 15 boards on a night as the Nets outscored the Wizards 44-33 overall and 7-3 on the offensive glass. Brooklyn held a 12-7 edge in second-chance points after being outscored 25-5 by Orlando. The Nets were last in defensive rebounding percentage entering the game, 3.5 points behind the No. 29 Milwaukee Bucks.

“They have guys who are very good rebounders, and after the struggle we’ve had (rebounding) in the season, but especially the last game, I think it says a lot about our group that we have the right intentions. Allowing only three offensive rebounds, that’s how you win NBA games,” Fernandez said.

Claxton has struggled in that area this season, posting 5.1 rebounds per 36 minutes, third-fewest among the 30 centers who have played 250 minutes this season. However, his effort on Sunday was a step higheras he grabbed seven in 30 minutes and held Wizards center Alex Sarr to one offensive rebound.

“That was the highlight. I think all five guys just bought into it. We’ve just got to be consistent with it. It’s really been a pain for us, an Achilles heel to start the season,” Claxton told IES Network. “It was all five guys. … It was a joint effort from everybody on the court. The short man was in. We were on the line there on the defensive end.”

With the Nets clinging to a one-point lead in the third quarter, Tyrese Martin helped put the game away. The quarterback made three straight shots to put Brooklyn ahead by 10 entering the fourth. Martin finished with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from three in 26 minutes. He added four assists, three of which came on Noah Clowney’s fourth-quarter 3-pointer.

Despite moving to the bench in favor of newcomer Yegor Demin, Martin continues to get the majority of Brooklyn’s minutes.

“(I) just stuck to the game plan, I was able to get downhill, keep guys in jail and I knew where my shooters were going to be on the weak side,” Martin told IES. “Either I was able to get to the rim, or I know I splashed for Noah twice. So guys are in the right spots and they’re playing with confidence as the game goes on.”

Brooklyn held Washington to 37 of 84 shooting (44.0 percent). Keyshaun George led the Wizards with 29 points and five assists on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 from three, while CJ McCollum added 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

The win drops the Nets to 2-11 on the season, dropping them behind the Wizards and Indiana Pacers — the only two teams to win — in the lottery standings. Brooklyn will host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday before traveling to TD Garden for a rematch on Friday.