Nets-Wizards Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Jan 03 2013 11:19PM

A coaching change seems to have provided a spark for the Brooklyn Nets.

A favorable schedule may keep them rolling for at least another week.

Coming off a victory over the best team in the NBA, the Nets look to capitalize on a meeting with the league's worst club Friday night as Andray Blatche returns to Washington to face the Wizards.

A 3-10 stretch led Brooklyn (17-15) to fire coach Avery Johnson last week, replacing him with P.J. Carlesimo on an interim basis.

The Nets have won three of four since the switch, and they have a good opportunity to keep it up with their next four games coming against teams with losing records - Washington (4-26), Sacramento, Philadelphia and Phoenix.

Brooklyn may feel ready for any opponent after beating league-leading Oklahoma City 110-93 on Wednesday. The Nets ended the Thunder's 12-game home winning streak and bounced back after drawing Carlesimo's ire following Monday's 104-73 loss at San Antonio.

"To be honest, it helped," swingman Joe Johnson said of Carlesimo's calling for improved ball movement and defensive cooperation. "It translated into the game because we were in a spot defensively that we hadn't been in a while. We was talking, communicating, the ball was moving great, guys were getting wide-open shots and it just kind of played into our hands."

It certainly seemed to suit Johnson, who had a season-high 33 points while hitting 11 of 19 field goals, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range. He had been averaging 13.6 points on 38.2 percent from the floor - 8 of 28 from beyond the arc - over the previous five games.

Deron Williams is looking to build on a strong performance of his own. The point guard finished with 19 points, 13 assists and five steals Wednesday after mustering eight points and one assist while making 3 of 11 from the floor against the Spurs.

A trip to the nation's capital may keep Williams going strong. He's averaging 23.7 points and 10.7 assists over his last three in Washington, compiling 23 and nine in the Nets' 90-84 win in their most recent visit Dec. 26, 2011.

No Brooklyn player may be more motivated for this trip than Blatche. Friday's game marks the first against Washington for the reserve big man, who was waived under the amnesty clause by the Wizards this summer after spending seven seasons with the team.

He probably won't get a warm reception after he was booed by the Washington fans last season, when he struggled with injuries and conditioning and shot a career-worst 38.0 percent in 26 games. He's averaging 10.9 points and shooting 48.6 percent off the bench for the Nets.

Blatche seemed to poke fun at the Wizards while they were 0-12 in November, saying on Twitter that it "Feels good to be part of a winning organization" as the Nets were 9-4.

Washington has lost 11 of its last 12. The struggles continued in Wednesday's 89-81 defeat at Indiana as the Wizards had 19 turnovers.

"Until we come together as a group, we're going to have our ups and downs through every game," coach Randy Wittman said.

Jordan Crawford continues to be a rare bright spot for the Wizards, leading them with 15.9 points per game. The guard had 20 points and seven assists off the bench against the Pacers in his second game back from a sprained left ankle.

He's averaging 20.0 points and 6.1 assists over his last eight contests.

Nets beat Wizards 115-113 in double overtime

Posted Jan 04 2013 11:41PM

WASHINGTON (AP) Exactly three hours after the game started, Joe Johnson finally won an exhausting game for the Brooklyn Nets.

Johnson's 18-footer with 0.7 seconds left in the second overtime lifted the Nets to a 115-113 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Bradley Beal's two free throws tied the score at 113 with 9.1 seconds to play before Johnson, who had 18 points, hit the shot that improved Brooklyn to 4-1 under interim coach P.J. Carlesimo.

"That's what big-time players do. We put him in a good position to make the play, and he made the play," Carlesimo said.

Washington double-teamed Johnson as it had earlier in the game, but this time he knew it was coming.

"In that situation, man, I'd seen the double team coming and I just took one hard dribble and pulled up for a jumper," Johnson said.

Brook Lopez had 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets, and Deron Williams added 24 points and 10 assists.

Beal had a career-high 24 points. Jordan Crawford scored 23 points and Nene, who fouled out in the first overtime, had 20 for Washington, which lost its fourth in a row and is now 4-27.

"How many times we've been here? I've lost count," an exasperated coach Randy Wittman said.

After Martell Webster's jumper gave the Wizards a 106-104 lead to begin the second overtime, Gerald Wallace made a layup and Keith Bogans converted a three-point play and a layup for a 111-106 lead with 3:21 to play.

Beal hit a 3-pointer as the first overtime ended to tie the score at 104. It was the second time Washington extended the game at the horn. Nene hit a hook shot to tie it at 93 in regulation.

The Wizards scored the first eight points of overtime to take a 101-93 lead with 1:27 left, but the Nets later scored 11 straight for a 104-101 lead with 3.4 seconds left, before Beal's shot.

"Bradley kept us alive when we should have been dead and we never should have been dead to begin with," Wittman said.

"The thing that's disturbing is that we do the same mistake over and over again as you're closing the game out. When a guy's doubled, you have to move the ball."

It was the third straight win in overtime for Brooklyn, and Washington's fifth straight loss in OT.

"Just went down to the wire. There was nothing they were really doing that was killing us. We were neck-and-neck the whole time," Beal said.

The game featured the return of Andray Blatche, who was let go by Washington last summer after seven stormy seasons. The Wizards used the amnesty provision on Blatche, who was banished from the team by Wittman last March for poor conditioning.

Blatche was booed by the crowd when he entered with just under five minutes to play in the first quarter. Moments later, with the crowd still booing, he hit his first shot and then drew laughs when he tripped as he ran down the court. He had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

"I probably screwed up by not playing him more than I did," Carlesimo said. "There's a lot of people that would not have been able to handle the situation, the first time back. He didn't handle it. He thrived in it."

Blatche said he didn't care about the crowd's reaction.

"The thing is, the booing didn't affect me at all because I don't play for them. They're supposed to boo me, they're supposed to go against me," Blatche said.

The Wizards started off quickly, shooting 9 of 11 as they took a 20-10 lead with 6:27 to play in the first quarter and led 30-20 after one.

In the second quarter, Washington stretched the lead to 36-22 before the Nets hit four consecutive 3-pointers to cut the deficit to two. The Wizards led 55-52 at halftime behind 13 points by Nene and Crawford.

NOTES: Washington G Garrett Temple had a career-high 11 assists. ... Brooklyn was without G C.J. Watson (bruised right knee) and F Kris Humphries (sprained left ankle). F/G Jerry Stackhouse returned after missing Wednesday's game at Oklahoma City with a sore right hamstring. ... Wittman was heartened by seeing all four of his injured players: G John Wall (left knee), G A.J. Price (broken right hand), F Trevor Ariza (left calf) and F Trevor Booker (right knee) at practice on Wednesday. "I didn't know we had 15 here. There for a while here, I thought this was an eight or nine-man squad," Wittman said. None were well enough to play. ... The Wizards' 113 points were a season high. Their two highest-scoring games came in double-overtime losses.

Notebook: Nets 115, Wizards 113, 2 OT

Rich Dubroff, For NBA.com
Posted Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:20 AM - Updated Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:20 AM

THE FACTS: Joe Johnson hit a jump shot with 0.7 seconds to play to give the Brooklyn Nets a 115-113 win over the Washington Wizards in double overtime on Friday night.

The Nets (18-15) trailed until the fourth quarter, and allowed game-tying shots by Nene and Bradley Beal to force both overtimes.

Brook Lopez had 27 points and 13 rebounds to lead Brooklyn. Deron Williams had 24 points and 10 assists. Johnson had 18 points.

Beal had a career-high 24 points for Washington, which has lost four straight. They're 4-27. Jordan Crawford had 23 points. Nene had 20 points.

QUOTABLE: "It's a great feeling because anytime your players and coaches put you in a situation like that, that mean they've got ultimate faith in you to come through,"

-- Joe Johnson on the game-winner

THE STAT: Nene fouled out for the first time in nearly two years. He declined to talk after the game, saying he didn't want to incur a fine for public criticism of the officiating.

TURNING POINT: The Wizards were up 101-93 with 1:27 to play in the first overtime, but Brooklyn scored 11 straight to take a lead.

QUOTABLE II: "How many times we've been here→ I've lost count."

-- Washington coach Randy Wittman on the team's loss

HOT: Lopez was 8-for-15 from the field and 11-for-14 from the free-throw line.

NOT: Washington's Kevin Seraphin missed eight of nine shots.

GOOD MOVE: The Nets looking for Johnson in the final seconds. He delivered.

BAD MOVE: Wittman criticized his team for failing to pass out of double teams. "When a guy's doubled, you have to move the ball."

NOTABLE: The Nets are 3-0 in overtime this season, and the Wizards are 0-5.

IN THE ARENA: It was Andray Blatche's first game back since the Wizards let him go after seven seasons last summer. He was booed every time he touched the ball. "The thing is, the booing didn't affect me at all because I don't play for them. They're supposed to boo me, they're supposed to go against me."

Up NEXT: For the Nets, Saturday vs. Kings, Tuesday @ Sixers, Jan. 11 vs. Suns. For the Wizards, Sunday @ Heat, Monday vs. Thunder, Jan. 12 vs. Hawks.

• Nets: Humphries
• Wizards: Booker, Wall

• Nets: --
• Wizards: Nene

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 10

• Arena: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #56 Mark Ayotte, #73 Tre Maddox
• Attendance: 16006
• Duration: 3:00