Nets Coach Kenny Atkinson thinks his team can succeed without Caris LeVert.
They took the first step toward proving it Friday night.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored a season-best 25 points, D’Angelo Russell had 23, and the Nets beat the Wizards, 115-104, in Washington for their first win since LeVert’s gruesome foot injury.
“It feels good because of those circumstances,” Atkinson said. “You want to confirm that we can still be a good team. We love Caris, we miss him, but we’ve got some good players in that locker room.”
LeVert is the Nets’ leading scorer but suffered what was originally feared to be a season-ending injury on Monday. Doctors found no fractures, though, and he was expected to avoid surgery and return later this season from a dislocated foot.
Jarrett Allen had 16 points and 12 rebounds in his return after missing two games because of illness. The Nets had lost five straight in Washington and ended a three-game slide over all.
“Having his rim protection just changes the equation,” Atkinson said of Allen. “I thought we were excellent defending the rim tonight.”
Dwight Howard scored a season-high 25 points for the Wizards before fouling out in the fourth quarter. He also grabbed 17 rebounds as Washington failed to win its fourth straight.
Bradley Beal scored 20 points, and John Wall had 16. But the All-Star backcourt duo combined to shoot only 14 for 38 on a night Washington went 3 of 17 from beyond the arc, posting season lows in makes and attempts.
KNICKS FADE IN 4TH QUARTER Anthony Davis scored a season-high 43 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the visiting Knicks, 129-124.
The Knicks fell to a fourth straight loss after controlling nearly all but the final six minutes of the game.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 30 points, and Trey Burke had 24 on 10-of-13 shooting for the Knicks. They led by as many as 19 points in the first half before losing for the sixth time in seven games.
NUGGETS HIRE W.N.B.A.’S BIRD Sue Bird, a four-time Olympic champion with the United States team and an 11-time W.N.B.A. All-Star, has joined the front-office staff of the Denver Nuggets, the team said Friday.
Bird, who will have the title of basketball operations associate, recently wrapped up her 16th season in the W.N.B.A., in which she earned her 11th All-Star nod and her third league championship. She has spent her entire professional career with the Seattle Storm. She will continue playing professionally while working with the Nuggets.
“We are very excited to have Sue join our organization,” said Tim Connelly, the Nuggets’ president of basketball operations. “Her résumé certainly speaks for itself, and as a still active player, she will offer an extremely unique perspective.”
As a collegiate player, Bird won two national titles with Connecticut before being selected first over all by Seattle in the 2002 W.N.B.A. draft.
She ranks first in the W.N.B.A. in career games (508), first in career minutes played (16,173), first in assists (2,831), third in points (6,154), third in 3-pointers (855) and fifth in steals (652).
“I’m really excited to join the Denver Nuggets organization,” Bird said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity and look forward to learning from some of the best.”
Bird is not the first top W.N.B.A. player to land a role with an N.B.A. team. Since 2014, Becky Hammon has been an assistant to San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich.
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