The Washington Wizards wanted to remove all doubt erase any suspense, and avoid finding themselves in any situation that remotely resembled their last meeting with the Brooklyn Nets. That heartbreaking double-overtime loss last month was still fresh on their minds as they unleashed more solid team play, more spectacular plays from John Wall, more marksmanship from Martell Webster, more interior dominance from Nene, and more suffocating defense to deliver a decisive 89-74 defeat to another playoff contender at Verizon Center.
The Nets entered the game tied for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, but they left with the same frustration and bewilderment as the past two — and eight of the past nine overall — visitors to Washington. With wins over the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Nets, the Wizards (14-35) are playing with a confidence and cohesion that belies their record, and the postgame locker room is now filled with laughter from Webster’s jokes instead of disgust and disappointment.
“This week has been a good week,” Trevor Ariza said. “We’ve beat some really good teams. Teams that everyone are talking about as contenders. I think we are on the right path.”
Nene had his second double-double in a row, recording team highs with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and won his individual duel against Nets all-star center Brook Lopez. Webster connected on three three-pointers and scored 16 points and Wall had 15 points and nine assists, bringing fans out of their seats in the fourth quarter when he whirled the ball around his waist on a break, stopped in front of two defenders and flipped an underhand pass to Ariza for a slam dunk that put the Wizards ahead by 16.
“If this team was healthy in the beginning, I feel like we’d be top four in the East. I really do feel confident in this team,” reserve forward Chris Singleton said after the Wizards swept their last homestand before the all-star break. “It’s tough to look at the standings, because we let so many games get away from us. Especially in the beginning — we’re in it, we’re in it, the fourth quarter, it goes down the drain. But we’re there.”
The Wizards jumped above the Orlando Magic for the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference with the victory, but they owe somewhat of a debt of gratitude to the Nets, with their 115-113 double-overtime loss on Jan. 4 setting them up for their recent run of dominance at Verizon Center. That loss — which featured a bizarre overtime meltdown in which the Wizards blew an eight-point lead with 75 seconds remaining and a buzzer-beating jumper by Nets guard Joe Johnson — helped establish a style of play and renewed focus that the Wizards have used to win 10 of their past 17 games.
“It did hurt,” Coach Randy Wittman said of that loss last month. “That was a tough one to lose. I reminded them about it. I don’t think I had to.”
Wall practiced for the first time the day before the Wizards lost to Brooklyn (29-21), with players crediting his presence for uplifting the energy level and focus in practice. Wall didn’t make his debut until a week later against Atlanta. Since Wall has come back, the Wizards have gone 9-7 and they are 7-1 at home, with five wins coming by double digits.
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