By Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports)
WASHINGTON -- The Washington Wizards lost to the Brooklyn Nets 122-119 in overtime on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. Here are three things that stood out about the game...
Streak snapped
Coming off a season-high three straight wins, the Wizards played well enough offensively on Wednesday night against the Nets, they just couldn't get enough defensive stops to make it four in a row. They fell to the Nets in a closely fought game that went down to the wire in overtime.
Jordan Poole led a valiant effort in the second half with 26 of his season-high 38 points, one short of his career-high for a single half. He also had eight assists and seven rebounds for the game, and shot 15-for-24 on the night, once again starting at point guard in place of the injured Tyus Jones.
The Wizards played a fairly clean game overall with only 13 turnovers. They shot 50% from the field and 41.2% (14-for-34) from three, all numbers that would suggest a good chance to win.
But Brooklyn made even fewer mistakes, outscored the Wizards 16-to-6 in second chance points and were boosted by 38 points from guard Cam Thomas. He made some big shots in overtime, which the Nets won 10-to-7.
"We've had some dogfights these last five or six games or so," Poole said. "It's really hard to win consecutive games, four in a row is tough. But we fought, we battled back in that fourth. We had a couple looks that didn't go in."
Bagley III was big
For the third straight game since returning from a back injury, Marvin Bagley III gave the Wizards a sizable lift off the bench. Against the Nets, he scored 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. He has scored in double figures in all three games since his return and in six of his last seven games overall.
This game, though, featured a new layer for Bagley III in that he made a season-high two threes. The Nets left him a little too open on a few occasions, perhaps playing the percentages as he shoots 29.2% for his career from long range. But Bagley III made them pay, first with a corner three and then one from the wing off a pass from Deni Avdija in the post.
We know Bagley III can rebound, set screens and rim-run. But he's also now shooting 7-for-15 (46.7%) from three in 21 games since joining the Wizards.
Avdija and Kuzma in sync
Avdija and Kyle Kuzma have been following a parallel track in and out of the lineup in recent games. They each returned from injury last Thursday, played two games (both wins) and then were out of the lineup for Monday's game in Chicago; Avdija due to an illness and Kuzma because of left shoulder soreness. They each then returned from their one-game absence against the Nets on Wednesday and, in the interest of symmetry, they both played well.
Kuzma sank a series of turnaround jumpers in the midrange to highlight a strong night of 24 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. He shot 10-for-19 from the field and 3-for-4 from three before fouling out in overtime.
Kuzma nearly tied the game with 34 seconds remaining in the extra period, but his hookshot rolled off the rim. Poole also missed an open three with seven seconds to go that would have tied it.
"I can't believe that rimmed out, that was tough, but that's how the ball goes sometimes," Kuzma said. "Even J.P.'s shot, he had a wide open shot. That's a shot that he makes. He was wide open and he was cooking tonight."
Avdija, meanwhile, pitched in with another well-rounded stat-line of 17 points (5-10 FG, 1-3 3PT), 12 rebounds, three assists and a steal.
While Avdija and Kuzma were back, the Wizards saw starting center Richaun Holmes exit late in the first half with a left toe contusion. He was ruled out for the rest of game officially just after halftime.
Up next: The Wizards stay home to host the Detroit Pistons on Friday night at 7 p.m.