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Brooklyn Nets 113-119 Washington Wizards (OT): Three Takeaways

The Nets rallied back from a 23-point deficit to force overtime, but ultimately ran out of gas against the Wizards as they suffered a 119-113 defeat at the Capital One Arena.

Quincy Acy hit a three with just nine seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 107. However, the Nets struggled to score early in overtime -- missing their first five attempts. Then John Wall took over. The Wizards star had four points and three assists in the final five minutes and finished the game with 23 points, 16 assists and two steals. 

Brooklyn’s players will likely be upset with their poor first-half performance, but the team can build off of the resilience shown in the second half. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the team with 22 points and Jarrett Allen continued his promising January, matching his career-high with 16 points.

Here’s Three Observations from the Defeat:

Nets Fail to Overcome Slow Start

Brooklyn’s season-long issue with slow starts continued against the Wizards on Saturday as it fell behind as much as 23 points in the opening 24 minutes.

Yes, the team played less than 24 hours than tip off, but the majority of NBA teams face unfavorable schedules. In order for the Nets to find consistency this season, they have to approach the beginning of games with the same amount of urgency as they often finish with. At one point early in the fourth quarter, the Nets had just two starters in double digits, Hollis-Jefferson and DeMarre Carroll.

While the team would finish with seven players scoring 10 or more, Brooklyn shouldn’t have to rely on the 18-7 run it used to force the game past regulation.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Shines Against Wizards Again

For whatever reason, Hollis-Jefferson has Washington’s number. He’s averaging 18.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists against the Wizards this season and it was more of the same on Saturday night.

In addition to his final total, the forward had a career-high seven assists. Similar to the game against the Hawks, Hollis-Jefferson made timely plays that sparked the Nets make a run in the fourth quarter. While he’ll likely regret the attempted no look pass on a potential go-ahead basket late in the fourth, overall, Kenny Atkinson will be satisfied by the performance.

Acy, Allen Spark Second Half Rally

Acy only tallied eight points, but he was a big reason why the Nets were able to fight back into this game.

The veteran forward started the second half with back-to-back emphatic blocks that appeared to give Brooklyn some much-needed energy. One of the players who appeared to feed off of that was Allen.

The rookie center matched his career high and added eight rebounds, making several key challenges at the rim for the Nets. As mentioned in this space before, Allen is still a raw player, but he’s already making an impact due to his athleticism and unwavering drive. Once he gets more strength and adds more polish to his game, he’s going to be a force.