Deron Williams wasn't playing his best basketball since arriving in New Jersey, but the Nets clearly missed him Sunday afternoon in Washington, committing 22 turnovers as they blew a 17-point, first-half lead to the Wizards. The loss put them at 4-27 on the road.
The Nets came out hot and were up 56-39 late in the second quarter. They were up 13 at the half, but were outscored 28-12 in the third quarter, and Washington went up by as many as seven points early in the fourth. The Nets answered with a 9-0 run to take a brief lead, but quickly went down six with four minutes left. They came back again to tie the game, but couldn't answer a pair of John Wall jumpers in the final minutes.
Led by Wall's 26 points and eight assists, Washington shot 52 percent from the field. The Nets shot 44 percent and turned the ball over 22 times, their third highest total of the season. They were led by Brook Lopez, who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, his tenth straight 20-point game, a career high. Kris Humphries added 18 points and 17 boards and Jordan Farmar dished out a career-high 17 assists. Anthony Morrow scored 19 points, but injured his left hand/wrist on the game's final possession. It will be evaluated Monday.
- Boxscore - NBA.com
- First Half Highlights (Video) - NBA.com
- Wall's 26 points lead Wizards comeback over Nets - AP
- Nets, playing without Williams, lose to Wizards, 98-92 - Colin Stephenson - Star-Ledger
- Avery finds loss extra painful - Fred Kerber - New York Post
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Nets sit Williams for next 3 games - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Shorthanded Nets fall to Wizards, 98-92 - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
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Nets squander 17-point lead in loss to Wizards, coach calls it "painful" - Stefan Bondy - The InterNets
- Deron Williams sits as Nets fall to Wizards - Al Iannazzone - The Record
- Nets notes: Painful loss to the Wiz - Al Iannazzone - The Record
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As Williams sits, Nets fall flat - Al Iannazzone - The Nets Insider
- Post-Game Plus (Video) - Nancy Newman - YES Network
- From the Booth (Video) - Ian Eagle & Mike Fratello - YES Network
- Avery Johnson Press Conference (Video) - YES Network
- Brook Lopez Interview (Video) - Jessica Taff - YES Network
- Wizards use dominant third-quarter performance in comeback win over New Jersey - Michael Lee - Washington Post
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Wall leads the way - Dave Johnson - Comcast Sports Net Washington