LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. ā Caris LeVert scored 14 of his 34 points in the final seven minutes to help the Brooklyn Nets beat the Washington Wizards 118-110 on Sunday and move closer to a playoff berth.
āThat was my favorite show to watch ā watching Caris LeVert go to work, seeing how far heās come, just being able to play 1-on-1," Nets center Jarrett Allen said. āHe was calling me, saying āJ.A., I donāt want the screen.ā And I respected that. He didnāt want the screen and they couldnāt stop him.ā
Recommended Videos
Joe Harris scored a season-high 27 points and Allen added 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Nets, who bounced back from a loss to Orlando in their first seeding game.
The Nets moved seven games ahead of ninth-place Washington in the Eastern Conference standings, and now the Wizardsā hopes of forcing a play-in series are fading. They need to be within four games of eighth place to force the series, and they have just six games remaining.
āItās not over,ā Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. āThe odds are against us, but weāve got to keep fighting."
Thomas Bryant had a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Troy Brown Jr. added 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Wizards.
Both teams were short-handed. The Wizards entered the bubble without their top two scorers, Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans. The Nets are without DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince because of positive coronavirus tests before the restart. Wilson Chandler also is not playing.
The game was tied at 54 at halftime. Washington led 85-83 heading into the fourth quarter, and the game was tied at 100 with 5:27 remaining before LeVert took over.
āHeās really taken another level to his game of studying the game, appreciating that he has the ability to get where he wants to," Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said. āAnd the most important thing is the young man puts in the work.ā
TIP-INS
Nets: Allen set the team record for dunks in a season. His 170 jams last season tied Kenyon Martin (2002-03) for the most in a season since the stat first was kept during the 1997-98 season. He entered the game with 169 this season and had two against the Wizards. ... G Jamal Crawford was not available because of conditioning. ... Harris was 6 of 7 on 3-pointers while his teammates made 5 of 26.
Wizards: Lost their first restart game 125-112 to Phoenix. ... Brown had a career high in assists. ... Bryant made a career-high four 3-pointers, all in the first half. ... Made 9 of 31 3-pointers.
STAT LINES
Allen, a 62% free throw shooter for the season, made all 10 of his attempts on Sunday. He matched a career high for made free throws.
Vaughn was pleased with Allen's overall effort.
āYou have to give him a lot of credit,ā Vaughn said. āI think it shows some definite positive signs of maturity. The competitive spirit has been taken to a different level.ā
STEPPING UP
Nets guard Chris Chiozza matched a career high with 14 points in his second career start. He is in his first season with the Nets after signing a two-way contract with the team in January.
QUOTABLE
Brooks on Bryant's performance: āHe brought the energy, he brought the juice. He gave us some offense. He committed on both ends of the floor. We need him to do that consistently.ā
UP NEXT
Nets: Play the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
Wizards: Play the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
__
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports