The Washington Wizards came to Barclays Center on Friday night with a 3-17 record to face the Brooklyn Nets, a team that is still forming its on-court identity without point guard Ben Simmons and reserve guard Lonnie Walker IV, both of whom are recovering from injuries.
In what could have been a trap game before the team started a five-game road trip out west, the Nets used a 40-point third quarter to blow the doors off the game en route to a 124-96 victory over the Wizards on Friday night at Barclays Center.
The Washington Wizards are last in many team metrics, including team defense, and operate as a collection of players instead of a team, so a loss to the Wizards would have been bad for Nets team morale.
But, the Nets didn't play down to the level of their competition. Maintaining focus and intensity against a bad team is a sign of mental fortitude, which is a trait the Nets need to build to make a deep run in the NBA Playoffs.
Brooklyn was paced by six players who scored in double figures, led by Mikal Bridges who put up 21 points on efficient 9-15 shooting. Nic Claxton played a big role in the win with a 13-point, 15-rebound double-double, while Spencer Dinwiddie added 14 points and 9 assists.
Back in the comfortable confines of Barclays Center, for a contest against an inefficient team led by score-first players who do not play defense, the Nets scored 76 points in the paint against the Wizards, who didn't bother guarding and rebounding under the basket.
Day’Ron Sharpe had a double-double off the bench with 15 points and 11 rebounds, helping Brooklyn score and maintain their lead in the second half.
Mikal Bridges continues to grow as a player while shooting the ball efficiently and settling in as the leader of the Nets.
While the squad waits for the return of Ben Simmons and his fast-break skill set, they’ve switched up their identity based on their opponent to manufacture wins while not at full strength.
Brooklyn had just 22 transition points for the game on Friday, while scoring 76 points in the paint against Washington, a significantly higher number than the 49.5 points in the paint they’ve averaged this season.
The NBA is a game of runs and with Washington unable to get any stops in the third quarter, Brooklyn was able to open a 19-point lead after intermission, which blew the barn doors off and led to a 30-point fourth-quarter lead and an appearance from Harry Giles, the third string center who mainly sees the court during blowouts.
Brooklyn currently sits as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and after a five-game home stand where they went 4-1, Brooklyn is hitting the road for a five-game road trip with a slate of games against Western Conference contenders. They will play the Sacramento Kings, the Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors, the Utah Jazz, and the Denver Nuggets which are the defending NBA champions.
Brooklyn was a winner on Friday. Hopefully, that continues on the road. Their next game is against the Sacramento Kings on Monday, Dec. 11.
