National Basketball Association
Brooklyn 124, Washington 97
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, December 8, 2023
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Officials: #15 Zach Zarba, #68 Jacyn Goble, #96 Intae Hwang
Attendance: 16587

Mikal Bridges scored 21 points for the Brooklyn Nets, who surged ahead in the third quarter and pulled away for a 124-97 rout of the Washington Wizards on Friday in New York.

The Nets won for the sixth time in seven games and moved a season-high three games over .500 before starting a five-game trip Monday night in Sacramento.

After withstanding 43 lead changes and 11 ties in a one-point win at Atlanta on Wednesday, the Nets trailed briefly in the second quarter against Washington and dominated the third after a sluggish opening half.

After hitting the game-winner on Wednesday, Bridges shot 9-for-15 overall on Friday. He scored nine points in the third when the Nets outscored the Wizards 40-24. Brooklyn made 11 consecutive shots and hit 61.5 percent to turn a three-point halftime lead into a 90-71 advantage.

Cam Thomas logged 10 of his 17 points in the decisive third for the Nets, who beat the Wizards for the sixth straight time and the ninth time in the past 11 meetings. Day'Ron Sharpe contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds off the Brooklyn bench, while Spencer Dinwiddie added 14 points and nine assists.

Nic Claxton produced 13 points and 15 boards for the Nets, who racked up 76 points in the paint and 22 fast-break points while outrebounding Washington 55-41.

Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points for the Wizards, who shot 41.8 percent, missed 27 of 33 3-point tries and lost their fourth straight. Deni Avdija added 15 and Tyus Jones contributed 14 for Washington, which allowed 20 points off 15 turnovers.

Washington had posted 120-plus points in each of its previous three games.

The Nets held the Wizards to 36.4 percent shooting and forced five turnovers for a 26-18 lead after the opening quarter. Brooklyn took three nine-point leads late in the second and settled for a 50-47 lead by halftime.

A 3-pointer and a layup by Thomas on consecutive possessions pushed Brooklyn's lead to 69-57 with 6:24 left in the third, and the Nets opened an 83-68 lead on a hoop by Claxton with 3:19 left before taking a 19-point edge into the fourth.

Bridges sat out the fourth quarter.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Brooklyn
Kyle Kuzma 17 Scoring Mikal Bridges 21
Deni Avdija 4 Assists Spencer Dinwiddie 9
Bilal Coulibaly 10 Rebounds Nic Claxton 15
Jared Butler 3 Free Throws Made Trendon Watford 4
Deni Avdija 1 Steals Spencer Dinwiddie 4
Deni Avdija 2 Blocks Mikal Bridges 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Washington 97 41.8 6-33 15-21 19 41 7 4 16
Brooklyn 124 48.1 10-33 14-18 27 55 8 8 11
Upcoming Games
  • Brooklyn will play their next game on the road against Sacramento. The Nets have a W/L % of .583 after a win and .556 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Wizards have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .167 after a loss.