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The Wizards beat the Nets 123-122 on Sunday night in Brooklyn, giving them two consecutive wins to start a four-game road stretch. Here’s a look at the win by the numbers.
TB’S EFFICIENCY
Thomas Bryant has been steady for the Wizards all season long, but has dialed it up in the last three games. In outings against Chicago, Minnesota and Brooklyn, Bryant is averaging 22.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Most impressive is his scoring efficiency. He’s made 26 of his last 30 field goal attempts. Bryant shot 10-11 (.909) against the Bulls, 7-7 (1.000) against the Timberwolves and 9-12 (.750) against the Nets.
BEAL KEEPS ROLLING
Against the Nets, Bradley Beal finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. He’s scored at least 25 points in all seven of Washington’s games this season, extending his franchise-record streak, and holds the longest active streak of 20-point games in the league (30). Since the start of last season, Beal has scored 25-plus points 48 times. Only James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic have recorded more such games.
Beal did most of his damage against the Nets in the first half, scoring 20 points in 18 minutes. Beal has hit the 20-point mark by halftime twice this season and 14 times since the start of last season.
BRAD’S PASSING
With five assists against the Nets, Beal has now recorded at least five dimes in four of the Wizards’ seven games and at least three in all seven. Sunday, he recorded four of his five assists in the second half, including the game-winning helper to Bryant for the go-ahead dunk. Beal is coming off a 2019-20 season in which he averaged a career-high 6.1 assists per game.
BERTANS HEATING UP
Throughout the preseason and opening week of the regular season, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks implemented a minutes restriction for Davis Bertans as he worked his way back from a limited offseason. Against the Nets, Bertans took on a full workload, playing a season-high 31 minutes off the bench, scoring 15 points with a plus-16 rating. The 31 minutes were the most he’s played in a game since March 1, 2020, when he scored 29 points on 8-10 (.800) from three in a win over the Warriors.
Sunday against Brooklyn, Bertans shot 4-10 (.400) from 3-point range, his fourth game this season with at least three 3-pointers. That is tied for the most such games among bench players with Bogdan Bogdanovic (ATL) and Terrence Ross (ORL). Bertans is averaging five minutes per game less than both Bogdanovic and Ross.
SECOND-CHANCE POINTS
The Wizards won the game on a dunk by Thomas Bryant that wouldn’t have been possible had he not secured an offensive rebound moments earlier. Beyond just the game-winning possession, Washington dominated Brooklyn on the offensive boards and second-chance points. The Wizards outpaced the Nets 13-7 in offensive rebounds, tying a season high, and 17-4 in second-chance points. The 17 second-chance points are one short of their season high while the four second-chance points allowed are a season low.
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
After struggling with turnovers in the opening games of the season, the Wizards took care of the ball on Sunday night. Washington set a season high with 3.86 assist-to-turnover ratio and a season low with a 6.4 turnover percentage.