WASHINGTON — It wasn't long ago that the Nets were the laughingstock of the NBA.
A team that started the year with championship aspirations, the Nets opened the season 6-9, parted ways with coach Steve Nash, struggled to find chemistry as Kyrie Irving served a suspension and played a brand of defense that was so bad that it allowed the Sacramento Kings to score 153 points on Nov. 15.
That team bears little resemblance to the one that picked up its fourth straight win Monday night,112-100 over the Wizards.
The Nets (17-12) are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, having won eight of their last nine and 11 of their last 14.
The win was a workmanlike affair, where the Nets held on to a low double-digit lead for most of the second half. The Nets' defense held the Wizards to 45 points in the second half.
The Nets were led by Kevin Durant’s 30 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Kyrie Irving added 24 points.
The loss was the seventh straight and 10th in the last 11 games for the Wizards, who were playing without Bradley Beal, their leading scorer.
