Nets Snap Six-Game Skid, Down Wizards on the Road

Brooklyn got back in the win column.

Mar 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) drives past Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (8) during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

In the third and final meeting between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards this season, the former faced the threat of dropping their seventh-straight while the latter sought to mantain the best odds for this summer's draft. In a game where several stars sat out, Brooklyn's clutchness down the stretch produced a much-needed 115-112 win.

Jalen Wilson led the Nets with 20 points and seven rebounds in the Eastern Conference showdown.

In a tightly-contested opening frame, Washington's second-overall selection from this summer's draft bullied Brooklyn in an attempt to further bolster his Rookie of the Year case. Alex Sarr—already statistically one of the best rim protectors in the NBA—took complete advantage of a Nets frontcourt without Nic Claxton or Day'Ron Sharpe.

In their absences, Jordi Fernandez opted to run Noah Clowney at the five-spot, a decision Sarr quickly exploited. He notched eight points and three blocks in the first quarter alone, neutralizing Keon Johnson's six-point contribution to lead the Wizards to a five-point lead through 12 minutes of action.

Despite heating up from deep in the second quarter, the Nets' interior defense—and more specifically their inability to contest without fouling—prevented them from evening the score. While Johnson and Wilson combined for 6-of-8 from beyond the arc to go along with Drew Timme's seven first-half points, Washington's frontcourt continued inflicting nightmares.

Once Sarr subbed out, Tristan Vukcevic filled in perfectly. He tallied eight points and four rebounds in relief of Sarr, however the most glaring reason for Brooklyn's eight-point deficit at the half: free throw discrepancy. The Wizards shot 23 free throws in the first half—20 of which they made—compared to just seven for the Nets.

Whatever Fernandez said said at the break clearly worked, because Brooklyn enterred the third quarter much sharper. Cam Johnson led the visitors to a 7-0 run in the stanza's first four minutes, knotting the score at 61. Flipping Washington's strength on itself, Johnson began getting to the charity stripe at will. Meanwhile, Wilson and Tyrese Martin got active from three—attempting to keep pace with the Wizards' backcourt. Unfortunately, despite the much-improved quarter, the Nets still trailed by three heading into the fourth.

Behind Timme—who was en route to a career-high 19-point performance—and Wilson, Brooklyn orchestrated another 7-0 run in the early stages of the final frame, granting the Nets a two-point lead with nine minutes to play. However, that wasn't Brooklyn's lone game-changing run of the fourth quarter.

Tied at 91, Noah Clowney spearheaded a 13-6 Nets run, nailing two three-pointers while handing his team its largest lead of the game. But the late-game success didn't come without negatives, as both Cam Johnson and Clowney exited the game with injuries less than 30 seconds apart.

Fernandez relied on a lineup of Timme, Keon Johnson, Ziaire Williams, Tyrese Martin and Trendon Watford to close out the skid-breaking victory, a feat Washington's rookie AJ Johnson didn't allow easily. After reverse-dunking on Martin, he stepped back and drilled a difficult three—trimming Brooklyn's lead to just three and capping off an 8-0 run.

Johnson wasn't done though. The Wizard's athletic guard hit another catch-and-shoot three in transiiton, putting his squad up one with just 13 seconds to play in regulation. After calling timeout, Fernandez drew up a slip-screen for Timme, who drew a goaltend driving to the basket—giving the rookie an eventual-game-winner in just his second game as a Net.

Next up for Brooklyn: a rematch of March 24's home blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks, this time set to be played at the American Airlines Center. That tilt is slated for Monday at 8:30 p.m. EST.

To access the final box score from the Nets' win over the Wizards, click here.

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