WASHINGTON — The Wizards were dysfunctional. The Nets were desperate, and at times dominant. And by the time it was over, the Nets had pulled away for a 115-104 slump-busting rout before a testy Capital One Arena crowd Friday night.
The Nets (7-9), who lost eading scorer Caris LeVert for months to injury on Monday, entered having dropped three straight, including an emotionally hungover defeat against the Heat two days after LeVert’s injury. But against the Wizards, they eventually locked down and ground out a comfortable victory after leading by as many as 19.
When the Nets needed somebody to step up in LeVert’s absence, starting point guard D’Angelo Russell and backup Spencer Dinwiddie both showed themselves capable. Russell finished with 23 points and six assists, while Dinwiddie poured in a game-high tying 25 points and game-high eight assists off the bench.
Performances like that raise the question of how much longer coach Kenny Atkinson can keep Dinwiddie coming off the bench.
After missing the past two games with an undisclosed illness, Jarrett Allen returned to the court and the lineup. The second-year center finished with 16 points, twelve rebounds and two blocks.
While Wizards center Dwight Howard did have 25 points and 17 rebounds, Allen largely stood toe-to-toe with the older, bigger All-Star. Considering Howard battered the Nets for 32 points and 30 boards in March (the most rebounds allowed by an NBA team last season), it was an encouraging outing for Allen.
The Nets led with three minutes left in the first half despite three of their starters (Joe Harris, Jared Dudley and Allen Crabbe) being held scoreless at the time. But they came into the night fifth in the NBA in bench scoring (44.7), and the Dinwiddie-led reserves turned this game around as well.
Despite shoddy defense out of the gate (the Wizards shot over 60 percent well into the second quarter) and digging themselves several early six-point deficits, the Nets never lost contact. Down 41-38 after Kelly Oubre Jr.’s free throw with 6:30 left in the first half, the Nets settled in with an 11-4 run.
The Nets forced Washington into missing five of six shots and committing three turnovers over the four-minute run. By the time Dinwiddie hit a finger roll, the Nets led 49-45 with 2:35 remaining in the half.
Clinging to a tenuous 63-61 edge early in the third quarter, the Nets reeled off nine unanswered points to earn some breathing room. A Dudley jumper, a Harris 3-pointer, four Russell free throws and some more solid defense put them ahead by 11.
The Nets pushed it to 15 on Allen’s layup midway through the third. The second-year center — who had blocked Bradley Beal (20 points) to end the first half — sprinted downcourt to keep up with speed demon John Wall and rejected the Wizards’ star guard to close the third.
Allen’s free throws with 8:48 to play extended Brooklyn’s lead to 103-84, and the Nets easily held on to snap a five-game skid in Washington.
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