Rookie Nolan Traore scored a career-high 23 points and added a game-high seven assists as the Brooklyn Nets held off the visiting Washington Wizards 121-115 in an Eastern Conference basement battle Sunday in New York.
Jalen Wilson added 19 points and five rebounds, while Josh Minott and E.J. Liddell each had 15 points as the Nets (19-59) won for just the second time in their past 14 games. They also won the season series with Washington (17-61), 3-1.
Will Riley shot 9 for 16 from the field and led the Wizards with 30 points. The rookie has led the Wizards in scoring in five of the past six games, averaging 22.5 points per game over that stretch.
Julian Reese added 17 points and 16 rebounds for Washington. It’s his third double-double in nine games since the Wizards signed him to a two-way contract at the end of February.
Jamir Watkins had 20 points and eight rebounds for Washington, which has lost six straight and 22 of 23. Anthony Gill added 17 points and five rebounds, while Bub Carrington contributed 13 points.
Drake Powell added 13 points for Brooklyn, and Ochai Agbaji had 12.
The Nets had lost six of seven coming in but jumped out to a 35-23 lead after the first quarter as Wilson scored nine points while Traore and Agbaji each had two 3-pointers.
Reese and Riley combined for 20 second-quarter points, while Carrington had nine of his 13 in the third as the Wizards worked their way back into the contest. Riley’s floater at the buzzer got Washington within 85-84 heading into the fourth.
The final period featured six lead changes. A Watkins 3-pointer with 3:50 left gave the Wizards a 105-101 advantage, but Brooklyn proceeded to outscore Washington 20-10 the rest of the way.
Traore led the way with 10 of his 23 during that stretch. He shot 5 for 11 from beyond the arc, making two more 3-pointers in the final three minutes.
Wilson also had a key 3-pointer in the closing minutes for Brooklyn, which was outrebounded 41-35, but held a 29-20 advantage in assists and had only 11 turnovers compared to the Wizards’ 23. The Nets scored 37 points off those turnovers.
