NEW YORK _ Before tipoff Wednesday night at Barclays Center Wizards general manager Ernie Grunfeld spoke admiringly of how hard the Nets play and the coaching job Kenny Atkinson has done to turn them into a surprising Eastern Conference playoff contender this season. Then, the Wizards came out and ran roughshod over the Nets, building a 28-point third-quarter lead on their way to a 125-116 victory.
The Nets never got closer than the final nine-point margin on their last possession. It was the kind of game that made Nets fans shake their heads in disbelief since it came one game after the Nets held the Spurs to 85 points. The Wizards reached that mark midway through the third period on their way to 101 by the end of the quarter, which was the most given up by the Nets through three quarters all season.
Once again, the Nets (32-31) hurt themselves by getting beaten on the boards, 57-41, and by 16 turnovers that turned into 29 Wizards points. D'Angelo Russell had another impressive offensive performance with 28 points and seven assists, but he committed five turnovers and got little support as Shabazz Napier (22 points) and Jarrett Allen (12) were the only other Nets to score in double figures. Caris LeVert struggled through a scoreless game, and the Nets had a poor 8-for-35 performance (22.9 percent) from 3-point range.
