NEW YORK -- Perhaps Timofey Mozgov put it best when jokingly describing the confidence the Brooklyn Nets expressed in a player struggling to make shots all night.

"Shooters shoot the ball," Mozgov said in the background as Spencer Dinwiddie spoke to the media crowd.

What Dinwiddie was discussing was Allen Crabbe's go-ahead 3-pointer with 44 seconds remaining that gave the Nets a 103-98 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.

Crabbe hit his biggest shot of the season on a night when he made 3 of 15 shots and misfired on 11 of 14 3-point attempts. It was his final shot that ultimately lifted the Nets (11-15) to their fifth win in eight games.

After Bradley Beal's layup gave Washington a 98-97 lead with 51.7 seconds remaining, the Nets called their penultimate timeout. Dinwiddie caught the subsequent inbounds pass and found Crabbe as the Wizards switched defenders.

Crabbe gained possession, and the guard simply spotted up from 26 feet out behind the top of the key and hit an uncontested 3-pointer.

"I don't care about any of that," Dinwiddie said of Crabbe's shooting woes. "He was one of the best 3-point shooters in the league last year. I don't know what his percentages are this year, but my man can shoot. Any time he's open, I'm going to find him."

Crabbe's percentage from 3-point range dropped from 39.6 percent to 37.9 percent on Tuesday, but numbers ultimately proved irrelevant.

"I still have confidence in him, and (a) great pass by Spencer," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson said. "Spencer had a choice of getting to the rim or Allen sets a back screen and pops. So he had the choice, and Spencer did a really good job finding him and trusting it."

Crabbe's shot occurred after the Nets missed their previous seven 3-point attempts and on a night when they shot 23.3 percent (10 of 43) from behind the arc.

"I think it was just that I-don't-care attitude," said Crabbe, who is a career 40.8 percent shooter from 3-point range. "If you miss, you miss. That used to be my problem in the past, missing so many shots and I would start getting tentative and looking to pass up on shots."

After Crabbe's 3-pointer, Beal and DeMarre Carroll traded missed mid-range jumpers. Brooklyn's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson grabbed the rebound of Carroll's miss with 13 seconds left, and after the Nets used their final timeout, Dinwiddie split a pair of free throws with 8.8 seconds left.

The Wizards had one more chance to tie, but Tomas Satoransky was called for a five-second violation on the inbounds pass intended for Beal. Caris LeVert iced the game at the line.

Crabbe finished with 13 points and was among seven in double figures for the Nets, who won despite shooting 6 of 20 in the fourth quarter.

LeVert and Hollis-Jefferson led the Nets with 16 points apiece, Carroll added 15 and Tyler Zeller contributed 12. Dinwiddie finished with 11 points and a career-high 12 assists though he and Crabbe were a combined 4 of 25 from behind the arc. Jarrett Allen scored 11 points.

Beal led the Wizards with 28 points. He missed his first five attempts, was 3 of 15 in the second half and 11 of 33 overall, including 0 of 7 on 3-point tries.

After Beal, Washington's other four starters combined for 27 points as the Wizards fell to 4-8 in games decided by five points or fewer.

"I don't know what it was," Beal said. "Same bad habits. We're just not playing well."

Before Crabbe's dramatic shot, the Nets took a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter and settled for a 79-78 advantage going into the fourth. The Nets held an 89-82 lead with about nine minutes left on a 3-pointer by LeVert, but Washington came right back to go up 95-94 on a hoop by Kelly Oubre Jr. (12 points) with about 5 1/2 minutes left.

"I feel like we were getting complacent," Oubre said. "We're not doing the necessary things to get us these wins."

NOTES: Washington G John Wall (sore left knee) worked out on the court before the game but missed his ninth consecutive contest. Coach Scott Brooks said Wall may play Wednesday against Memphis depending on how he feels. ... Newly acquired C Jahlil Okafor and G Nik Stauskas worked out on the court of the Nets' practice facility Sunday with coach Kenny Atkinson. Asked about slowly integrating his new players into the lineup, Atkinson said: "This isn't CYO when you show up at 4 o'clock and you haven't met your teammates and you just throw them out there." ... Washington C Ian Mahinmi (sore right knee) missed a game for the first time this season.