Jordan Poole scored 26 points, Bilal Coulibaly added 20 points and the Washington Wizards snapped a six-game losing streak with a 107-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
Washington closed the game on an 11-2 run and held Brooklyn without a field goal for the final 4:45. That stretch included a Nets scoring drought of more than four minutes.
The Wizards took the lead at 98-97 when Coulibaly attacked the rim for a layup with 2:12 remaining. After a Brooklyn turnover, Poole connected on a 3-pointer that gave Washington all the cushion it needed.
Poole and Coulibaly shot a combined 8-for-12 from beyond the arc, with Poole sinking 5 of 8.
Washington’s Kyshawn George and Richaun Holmes added 12 and 11 points, respectively, and both contributed to the team’s stifling defensive effort with three blocks each.
George also came away with three steals. The Wizards swiped seven steals as a team, part of the Nets’ 18 turnovers.
Brooklyn responded by forcing 24 Wizards turnovers, which the Nets converted into a 30-22 advantage for points off takeaways.
Brooklyn used its ability to generate takeaways to rally after trailing throughout the first half. The Nets opened the second half on a 22-7 run that spanned nearly eight minutes, grabbing an 81-74 lead.
The score was close through most of the fourth quarter. Washington leveraged its 50 percent shooting on the night, holding Brooklyn to 39.3 percent, to eventually pull away.
With the win, the Wizard bookended their skid with defeats of the Nets. Brooklyn came into the Monday contest having won seven of the past nine, including four of the past five.
Ziaire Williams’ 19 points led Brooklyn. Cameron Johnson added 17 points, and Tyrese Martin scored 15 points off the bench.
Nets reserve Trendon Watford chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds. Marcus Smart scored 10 points in reserve duty for Washington, while Justin Champagnie amassed six points and seven rebounds off the bench.
