Game ID: 22300178
Washington Wizards @ Brooklyn Nets
Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 3:00 PM ET
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BKN 30 19 29 24 102WAS 15 26 31 22 94
BKN vs WAS ScoutingBKN vs WAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BKN availability going into 11/04 · back-to-backOUT Claxton missed 4 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Cam. Johnson missed 4 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 5 since 10/25, out tonight
BACK Wilson back 11/01 after 2, 6 min since (36% of 16)
BACK Watford back 11/01 after 3, 14 min since (102% of 14)
BACK Brooks back 11/01 after 2, 16 min since (153% of 10)
NEW O'Neale 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Walker IV 17 to 23 min over the last 4
BKN availability going into 11/06 · 1 day's restOUT Claxton missed 5 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Cam. Johnson missed 5 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 6 since 10/25, out tonight
BACK Wilson back 11/01 after 2, 3 min since (22% of 16)
BACK Watford back 11/01 after 3, 9 min since (69% of 14)
BACK Brooks back 11/01 after 2, 8 min since (82% of 10)
NEW O'Neale 24 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 24 to 34 min over the last 4
BKN availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restOUT Claxton missed 6 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Cam. Johnson missed 6 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 7 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Wilson back 11/01 after 2, 3 min since (22% of 16)
BACK Watford back 11/01 after 3, 9 min since (69% of 14)
BACK Brooks back 11/01 after 2, 8 min since (82% of 10)
NEW Finney-Smith 28 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW O'Neale 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 24 to 34 min over the last 4
BKN availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Claxton missed 7 since 10/27, out tonight
OUT Cam. Johnson missed 7 since 10/27, returns tonight: 25 min (92% of 28)
OUT Clowney missed 8 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 2 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 3 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Brooks missed 2 since 11/06, returns tonight: 19 min (186% of 10)
BACK Watford back 11/01 after 3, 13 min since (92% of 14)
NEW Finney-Smith 28 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW O'Neale 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 24 to 33 min over the last 3
BKN availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Claxton missed 8 since 10/27, returns tonight: 28 min (94% of 30)
OUT Simmons missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 9 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 3 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 4 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Cam. Johnson back 11/10 after 7, 25 min since (92% of 28)
BACK Brooks back 11/10 after 2, 19 min since (186% of 10)
NEW Finney-Smith 28 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW O'Neale 24 to 31 min over the last 5
BKN availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Thomas missed 2 since 11/10, out tonight
OUT Simmons missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 10 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 4 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 5 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Claxton back 11/12 after 8, 28 min since (94% of 30)
BACK Cam. Johnson back 11/10 after 7, 30 min since (109% of 28)
BACK Brooks back 11/10 after 2, 19 min since (186% of 10)
NEW O'Neale 24 to 31 min over the last 5
BKN availability going into 11/16 · 1 day's restOUT Thomas missed 3 since 11/10, out tonight
OUT Simmons missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 11 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 5 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 6 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Brooks missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Claxton back 11/12 after 8, 24 min since (82% of 30)
BACK Cam. Johnson back 11/10 after 7, 30 min since (108% of 28)
NEW O'Neale 24 to 30 min over the last 5
BKN availability going into 11/19 · 2 days' restOUT Thomas missed 4 since 11/10, out tonight
OUT Simmons missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 12 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 6 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 7 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Brooks missed 3 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Claxton back 11/12 after 8, 25 min since (83% of 30)
BACK Cam. Johnson back 11/10 after 7, 29 min since (106% of 28)
BKN availability going into 11/22 · 2 days' restOUT Thomas missed 5 since 11/10, out tonight
OUT Simmons missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Clowney missed 13 since 10/25, out tonight
OUT Wilson missed 7 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Keo. Johnson missed 8 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Brooks missed 4 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Claxton back 11/12 after 8, 24 min since (82% of 30)
BACK Cam. Johnson back 11/10 after 7, 29 min since (104% of 28)
NEW Walker IV 17 to 22 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 11/03 · 1 day's restOUT Gafford missed 2 since 10/30, returns tonight: 20 min (74% of 26)
NEW Wright 14 to 20 min over the last 4
WAS availability going into 11/06 · 2 days' restOUT Butler missed 2 since 11/01, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 2 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Gafford back 11/03 after 2, 20 min since (74% of 26)
NEW Wright 14 to 19 min over the last 5
WAS availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 3 since 11/01, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 3 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Gafford back 11/03 after 2, 25 min since (94% of 26)
WAS availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 4 since 11/01, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 4 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Gafford back 11/03 after 2, 21 min since (79% of 26)
WAS availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 5 since 11/01, out tonight
OUT Muscala missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 5 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Gafford back 11/03 after 2, 23 min since (88% of 26)
WAS availability going into 11/13 · back-to-backOUT Butler missed 6 since 11/01, out tonight
OUT Muscala missed 3 since 11/08, returns tonight: 7 min (51% of 14)
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 6 since 11/01, out tonight
OUT Davis missed 2 since 11/10, out tonight
BACK Gafford back 11/03 after 2, 22 min since (83% of 26)
WAS availability going into 11/15 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 7 since 11/01, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Baldwin Jr. missed 7 since 11/01, returns tonight: 2 min (14% of 13)
OUT Davis missed 3 since 11/10, returns tonight: 7 min (54% of 12)
BACK Muscala back 11/13 after 3, 7 min since (51% of 14)
WAS availability going into 11/17 · 1 day's restOUT Butler missed 8 since 11/01, returns tonight: 2 min (16% of 14)
OUT Wright missed 3 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Muscala back 11/13 after 3, 7 min since (51% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 11/15 after 7, 2 min since (14% of 13)
BACK Davis back 11/15 after 3, 7 min since (54% of 12)
WAS availability going into 11/20 · 2 days' restOUT Muscala missed 2 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Wright missed 4 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Butler back 11/17 after 8, 2 min since (16% of 14)
BACK Baldwin Jr. back 11/15 after 7, 2 min since (14% of 13)
BACK Davis back 11/15 after 3, 4 min since (36% of 12)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 13 free throws a game; Thomas at 26 and Bridges at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Claxton (8 straight), Simmons (2 straight), Clowney (9 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 127, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 25 and Poole at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 15 a night. One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Brooklyn has been minus-4 a night and Washington minus-15 and the defense, Brooklyn allowing 115 a night to Washington's 127. Call it Brooklyn 121, Washington 117, Washington keeping it close.
11/04 vs BOS 114-124 — BKN notes
BKN lost 114-124. BKN took 10 more shots (100 to 90), fed by 10 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to BOS's 48%, 17 of 52 from three, and got to the line 17 times to BOS's 27. BKN turned it over 5 times to BOS's 11. Thomas led with 27 (11 of 24, 2 of 6 from three); Bridges added 19, Dinwiddie 19. Q3 was theirs, 30-21, the deficit cut from 12 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 103-84 against them. Finney-Smith's -19 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/06 vs MIL 125-129 — BKN notes
BKN lost 125-129. BKN shot 49% (49 of 101) to MIL's 48%, 16 of 45 from three, and got to the line 13 times to MIL's 24. Thomas led with 45 (17 of 33, 6 of 16 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Bridges added 31, Walker IV 19. Q1 was theirs, 32-29, but the other 3 periods went 100-93 against them. They led by as many as 10.
11/08 vs LAC 100-93 — BKN notes
BKN won 100-93. BKN shot 40% (37 of 92) to LAC's 40%, 15 of 41 from three. Walker IV led with 21 (8 of 16, 3 of 7 from three); Thomas added 14, Finney-Smith 12. The hinge was Q2, 33-28: the deficit went from 8 to 3. BKN trailed 46-49 at the half and won the second half 54-44. Walker IV was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
11/10 @ BOS 107-121 — BKN notes
BKN lost 107-121. BKN shot 45% (38 of 85) to BOS's 44%, 15 of 37 from three, and got to the line 18 times to BOS's 28. Walker IV led with 20 (8 of 12, 3 of 4 from three); Watford added 14, Smith Jr. 14. Q3 was theirs, 30-27, the deficit cut from 12 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 94-77 against them. Finney-Smith's -24 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/12 vs WAS 102-94 — BKN notes
BKN won 102-94. BKN shot 38% (37 of 98) to WAS's 38%, 12 of 49 from three. BKN turned it over 18 times to WAS's 12, and WAS turned those into 14 steals. The glass went 66-42 for them. Bridges led with 27 (11 of 29, 2 of 14 from three); Johnson added 14, Dinwiddie 12. The hinge was Q1, 30-15: from level to 15 ahead. Bridges was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
11/14 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 112, shooting 43 percent and 33 from three, 16 free throws a game; Thomas at 29 and Bridges at 20 a game. Without Thomas (2 straight), Simmons (3 straight), Clowney (10 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Banchero at 24 and F. Wagner at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Carter Jr. (4 straight), Gar. Harris (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the line, where Orlando takes 29 free throws a game to Brooklyn's 16 and the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 17 times a game to Brooklyn's 11. Call it Brooklyn 112, Orlando 111, Orlando keeping it close.
11/16 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; Adebayo at 25 and Butler III at 24 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Herro (3 straight), Martin (10 straight), Jović (7 straight). One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Bridges at 20 and Walker IV at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Thomas (3 straight), Simmons (4 straight), Clowney (11 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the line, where Miami takes 26 free throws a game to Brooklyn's 17 and the glass, where Brooklyn has been plus-4 a night and Miami minus-2. Call it Miami 112, Brooklyn 109, Brooklyn keeping it close.
11/19 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 107, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Bridges at 19 and Walker IV at 16 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Thomas (4 straight), Simmons (5 straight), Clowney (12 straight). 2 days' rest. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 29 free throws a game; Embiid at 32 and Maxey at 29 a game. Without Oubre Jr. (4 straight), Batum (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the defense, Brooklyn allowing 107 a night to Philadelphia's 119 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 29 free throws a game to Brooklyn's 20. Call it Brooklyn 116, Philadelphia 115, Philadelphia keeping it close.
11/22 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 127, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 26 free throws a game; Young at 26 and Murray at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Fernando (5 straight), Mathews (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Bridges at 20 and Walker IV at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Thomas (5 straight), Simmons (6 straight), Clowney (13 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the defense, Brooklyn allowing 112 a night to Atlanta's 127 and the glass, where Brooklyn has been plus-7 a night and Atlanta plus-0. Call it Atlanta 119, Brooklyn 117, Brooklyn keeping it close.
11/03 @ MIA 114-121 — WAS notes
WAS lost 114-121. WAS shot 57% (46 of 81) to MIA's 60%, 13 of 28 from three. Kuzma led with 22 (8 of 19, 4 of 9 from three); Poole added 19, Avdija 14. Q4 was theirs, 33-20, the deficit cut from 20 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 101-81 against them. Poole's -21 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/06 @ PHI 128-146 — WAS notes
WAS lost 128-146. WAS shot 51% (49 of 96) to PHI's 56%, 14 of 34 from three, and got to the line 20 times to PHI's 36. Kuzma led with 28 (12 of 20, 4 of 5 from three); Poole added 23, Avdija 16. Q4 was theirs, 30-26, the deficit cut from 22 to 18, but the other 3 periods went 120-98 against them. Kispert's -22 in 14 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/08 @ CHA 132-116 — WAS notes
WAS won 132-116. WAS shot 48% (47 of 97) to CHA's 52%, 18 of 43 from three, and got to the line 25 times to CHA's 35. WAS turned it over 10 times to CHA's 20. Kuzma led with 33 (13 of 24, 4 of 11 from three); Wright added 18, Gallinari 18. The hinge was Q2, 41-17: WAS came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 19, and the lead reached 26. Wright was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
11/10 vs CHA 117-124 — WAS notes
WAS lost 117-124. WAS shot 49% (43 of 88) to CHA's 45%, 14 of 38 from three, and got to the line 20 times to CHA's 28. WAS turned it over 15 times to CHA's 9, and CHA turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 36-67 against them. Kuzma led with 17 (7 of 17, 2 of 5 from three); Jones added 16, Kispert 15. Q1 was theirs, 27-22, but the other 3 periods went 102-90 against them. They led by as many as 16. Jones's -29 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/12 @ BKN 94-102 — WAS notes
WAS lost 94-102. WAS shot 38% (33 of 88) to BKN's 38%, 10 of 41 from three. WAS turned it over 12 times to BKN's 18. The glass went 42-66 against them. Coulibaly led with 20 (8 of 12, 4 of 7 from three); Kuzma added 15, Avdija 14. Q2 was theirs, 26-19, the deficit cut from 15 to 8, but the other 3 periods went 83-68 against them. Kuzma's -29 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/13 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Barnes at 20 and Schröder at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Freeman-Liberty (7 straight). One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 122, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Kuzma at 23 and Poole at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 15 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Toronto has been plus-4 a night and Washington minus-15 and the defense, Toronto allowing 115 a night to Washington's 122. Call it Toronto 119, Washington 112.
11/15 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Kuzma at 25 and Poole at 15 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 16 a night. One day's rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 122, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Dončić at 30 and Irving at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Kleber (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Washington wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Dallas has been minus-7 a night and Washington minus-16 and the line, where Dallas takes 26 free throws a game to Washington's 20. Call it Washington 121, Dallas 120, Dallas keeping it close.
11/17 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Kuzma at 24 and Poole at 13 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 14 a night. One day's rest. New York comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 43 from three, 21 free throws a game; Randle at 25 and Barrett at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Barrett (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-7 a night and Washington minus-14 and the arc, New York at 43 percent from three to Washington's 36. Call it New York 115, Washington 112, Washington keeping it close.
11/20 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 117, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 21 and Avdija at 13 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 16 a night. 2 days' rest. Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 32 and Lillard at 26 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Crowder (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Milwaukee has been minus-3 a night and Washington minus-16 and the arc, Milwaukee at 40 percent from three to Washington's 34. Call it Milwaukee 118, Washington 114, Washington keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BKNCJ C. Johnson
DF D. Finney-Smith
DS D. Sharpe
DS D. Smith Jr.
LW L. Walker IV
MB M. Bridges
NC N. Claxton
RO R. O'Neale
SD S. Dinwiddie
TW T. Watford
WASBC B. Coulibaly
CK C. Kispert
DA D. Avdija
DG D. Gafford
DG D. Gallinari
JP J. Poole
KK K. Kuzma
LS L. Shamet
TJ T. Jones
BKN/WAS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Bridges scores 27 points, helps Nets recover after blowing big lead to beat Wizards 102-94
NEW YORK -- — Mikal Bridges ' shot was off, two fellow starters just got back and two others are still out.
With an understandably spotty offense, the only way the Brooklyn Nets were going to win a game they were on the verge of letting get away was with their defense.
“There was just no other way,” Bridges said. “You've got to win and we were down, so you’ve got to get stops to win and we just locked in and pulled it through.”
Bridges had 27 points and 13 rebounds, and the Nets recovered after blowing a 17-point lead to beat the Washington Wizards 102-94 on Sunday.
Cam Johnson added 14 points and starting center Nic Claxton , in just his second game of the season, had 10 points and 13 rebounds to spark a huge rebounding advantage and help the Nets finish strong after they had coughed up the lead.
Bridges shot just 11 for 29 but turned to his defense for one of the biggest plays of the game, a steal that led to his layup that tied it at 92 with 2:27 to play.
He followed with the next three points as part of a 15-0 run that turned Brooklyn's five-point deficit into a 102-92 lead.
“I think we did a great job of getting back in the game and just playing with hustle and energy and heart, and we just fell apart a little bit,” forward Kyle Kuzma said. “I think our next step is just figuring what we want to do at the end of the games. Obviously we had a bunch of turnovers and we really didn’t have any direction out there.”
Rookie Bilal Coulibaly , Victor Wembanyama 's teammate last season in France, had a season-high 20 points for the Wizards, who fell to 2-7.
Brooklyn outrebounded Washington 66-42.
The Wizards led by two with 2 1/2 minutes to play, but committed three turnovers in the next 45 seconds.
Claxton had missed eight games with a sprained left ankle, and Johnson was playing in just his third game after a calf injury. Ben Simmons remained out for the third straight game with a bruised left hip and leading scorer Cam Thomas missed his second straight during what will be at least a two-week absence with a sprained left ankle.
Despite all that, they have played well enough to be .500 after their first 10 games.
“So for our group to stay together through this, still try to find an identity on both ends of the floor, I give them a lot of credit for staying together,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.
The teams combined to miss their first nine shots before Claxton tipped in a miss to break the ice. The Wizards had just two baskets midway through the first quarter and the Nets were already ahead by double figures about 30 seconds later. Claxton’s basket made it 30-13 and Brooklyn led by 15 after one.
Bridges was just 1 for 7 in the second and Washington held Brooklyn to 19 points to pull within 49-41 at the half.
Coulibaly surged into a top-10 pick with his strong play in the playoffs to help Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick of the San Antonio Spurs , and Metropolitans 92 reached the finals of their French league playoffs. He shot 8 for 12 off the bench, but by the time he dunked for his final basket in the closing seconds, it only served to end Brooklyn's decisive run.
Kuzma shot 4 for 16 for his 15 points for the Wizards, playing without reserve Delon Wright for at least the next three weeks because of a sprained left knee.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Visit Toronto on Monday.
Nets: Host Orlando on Tuesday in an In-Season Tournament game.