WASHINGTON, D.C. – A month ago, the Nets turned in the worst defensive performance in the league this season. Since then, they’ve been as hot as any team in the Eastern Conference.
Brooklyn cruised to a workmanlike 112-100 victory over Washington at Capital One Arena. It was their fourth straight win – tying the Knicks for the longest streak in the East – and 11th in their last 14 since their Nov. 15 humiliation in Sacramento.
Despite the firing of Steve Nash and suspension of Kyrie Irving, at least on the court that night had been the low point of their seesaw season. They’d shown little fire in getting drilled 153-121, by far the most points they’d ever allowed in regulation and the most conceded by any NBA team this season.
But since then the Nets (17-12) have played an enthusiastic energetic brand of basketball. They led by as much as 17 and cruised.
After winning Saturday in Indiana without eight rotation players, they got seven of them back against the Wizards. Kevin Durant – playing just miles from his Prince George’s (Md.) county home – poured in 30 points, nine rebounds, six assists and flashed a huge Cheshire Cat grin after blocking a shot.
Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets high fives Edmond Sumner. Getty Images
There was Irving adding 24 points, six boards, five assists and sailing headlong into the stands for a loose ball with a 96-85 cushion in the fourth quarter.
Anybody searching for what Jacque Vaughn has instilled in this team since Nash’s departure didn’t need words: They just needed to watch.
“I think that’s the biggest thing: I think we’ve committed ourselves to playing for and with each other, and that started on the defensive end of the floor,” Vaughn said. “We just asked the guys to play hard. At the end of the day, you can cover up a lot of things by just playing hard. So we’ve taken that approach for most nights.
Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles against the Wizards.
Kyrie Irving launches a shot against the Wizards. Getty Images
“And I’ll continue to talk about the consistency of playing hard. That’s our next challenge. But this group has started to learn about each other: The rotations, who plays well with each other on both ends of the floor. So overall I said to the group, this is our group: This is us right now. So each night we come into the game, this is us; we’re going to try to win the ballgame.”
They won eight of their last nine, forcing 19 Wizards turnovers and blocking seven shots.
No, Monday wasn’t anywhere near as dominant as their last meeting, when they came to Washington on Nov. 4 – Vaughn’s second game in charge as then-interim – and rolled to a 128-86 laugher with Irving suspended. But it was a continuation of the yeoman’s work ethic over the past month that will serve them well.
“Our approach. No matter who is playing, who is not playing, it’s today’s game, taking it very seriously and having a mental edge about us to start this game,” said Vaughn. “Guys should be well-rested and feel good about themselves. Plenty of juice. We should come out and try to take the first punch.”
With the score knotted at 17-all on a Will Barton pullup, they did just that. Durant’s 3-pointer capped an 11-2 run and handed the Nets a nine-point edge.
They survived a first quarter that saw Nic Claxton – returning from a hamstring injury — get saddled with three fouls in a scoreless 4:44, while his counterpart Kristaps Porzingis poured in a dozen points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Brooklyn trailed 42-36 after a Jordan Goodwin free throw, but an Irving 4-point play sparked another run. A Yuta Watanabe steal ended up as an acrobatic Irving scoop shot to cap an 11-0 Nets spurt.
Brooklyn leads the Wizards 47-42 with 6:07 in the half.
A Joe Harris outlet basket ran it to 79-66 midway through the third quarter, and Irving going airborne was the lasting image of the fourth, handing the Wizards a seventh straight defeat.
Nets cruise past Wizards
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