Where to begin... In what has been a season full of tough losses, the Wizards may have suffered their toughest yet as they lost a heartbreaker, 115-113, to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night at Verizon Center.
The game was an emotional roller coaster that unfortunately for the Wizards ended in defeat. The Wizards led for nearly the entire game as it was not until the 7:08 mark of the fourth quarter when the Nets finally grabbed their first lead of the game at 86-84. From there, the game went back and forth with the Nets pulling ahead by two near the end of regulation. The Wizards called a timeout with 3.2 seconds left down 93-91, needing a two for the tie or a three for the win. Garrett Temple threw a great inbound pass to Nene on the low post, who put in a jump-hook to send the game into the first overtime.
The Wizards opened the first overtime on an 8-0 run and looked to have the game put away as they led 101-93 with just 1:16 left in the overtime period. However, the Nets would respond with a 10-0 run in 1:13 of playing time to take a 104-101 lead, leaving the Wizards with just 3.2 seconds left once again to try and tie the game. Bradley Beal would step up to the task and hit the biggest shot of his young career as he nailed a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to send the game into double overtime.
The double overtime saw the Nets build up an early lead, but the Wizards would fight back and give themselves a chance as Kevin Seraphin and Bradley Beal combined to go 4-4 from the free throw line in the last minute to tie the score at 113. But, it was Joe Johnson who would deliver the final dagger to sink the Wizards and leave them with one of the toughest losses you will ever see in the NBA.
Bradley Beal finished with a career-high 24 points, Jordan Crawford chipped in with 23, while Nene ended the game with 20. Garrett Temple has a season-high 11 assists in the effort.
Next, the Wizards travel to Miami to take on the defending champs on Sunday evening at 6pm.
