Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal Rally Wizards to Stunning Win over Durant, Nets

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Shocking regular-season upsets may be less common in the NBA than college basketball, but fans were treated to one Sunday.

The Washington Wizards snapped a four-game losing streak with a stunning 149-146 victory over the Brooklyn Nets in an Eastern Conference showdown at Capital One Arena. Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal led the way for the victors, who are still an abysmal 4-12 on the season but finally have something to build on after a dramatic finish.

Beal drained a three to trim the deficit to two with 7.6 seconds left, Washington stole the ensuing in-bounds pass, and Westbrook connected on a go-ahead three with 4.3 seconds remaining. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot missed a short shot on the other end that could have won it, and the Wizards clinched their most impressive win of the season.

Brooklyn’s four-game winning streak came to an end despite notable showings from Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, Kyrie Irving and Jeff Green in James Harden’s absence.

Notable Player Stats

Wizards Backcourt Takes Over in Comeback Thriller

Frankly, a team with Westbrook and Beal in the same backcourt should not have the NBA’s worst record.

It’s hard to blame Beal, who has been one of the league’s best players this season and has now scored more than 30 points in seven of his last eight games. However, only one of the previous seven games resulted in a Washington victory, and his frustration was apparent at times during the course of Sunday’s contest.

Westbrook’s inconsistency hasn’t helped, as the nine-time All-Star entered play shooting a career-worst 38.1 percent from the field with 5.0 turnovers per game.

Perhaps a matchup with former teammate Kevin Durant inspired him, though, as he looked like his old self with aggression that has largely been missing. He hunted out matchups with Irving and consistently posted up his counterpart, didn’t hesitate to pull up from mid-range and even connected on four triples with uncharacteristic touch from deep.

It wasn’t a solo show, as Ish Smith and especially Moritz Wagner provided energy off the bench, but Washington needed its other star to complete its head-turning comeback.

Beal sensed the moment with so many of his teammates also playing so well on offense and shifted into takeover mode in the fourth quarter. He poured in 22 points in the period alone while attacking the basket and hitting two clutch three-pointers. 

It appeared to be too little and too late until Joe Harris threw away the fateful inbounds pass in the final seconds, which set up Westbrook to be the hero.

Nets Waste Impressive Offensive Showing with Late Collapse

With Harden sidelined by a thigh injury, there was plenty of pressure on Brooklyn’s supporting cast to answer the call with Washington focusing much of its defensive energy on the Durant and Irving pairing.

That cast was largely up to the task with Landry Shamet providing a burst off the bench in the first half, Harris wasting no time catching fire from deep and Green mixing in four triples with aggressive drives to the lane and a monster dunk.

It figured to be enough, especially with Durant dialed in from the early going.

He quickly found his stroke while dropping mid-range jumpers over Washington defenders like they weren’t even there and even rattled the rim with a jam over Davis Bertans in a matchup that wasn’t exactly fair. He also played the role of facilitator with lobs to DeAndre Jordan and was the best player for extended stretches in a game loaded with household names.

Irving picked his spots until the fourth quarter when he seemed to shift into takeover mode as well with baskets on three straight trips to extend the lead and a clutch jumper with 31.1 seconds left to break the tie.

That would have been the biggest shot of the game if Harris didn’t panic on the late inbounds pass and throw it into empty space to set the stage for Westbrook’s shot.

While the defense left much to be desired, the Nets put on an offensive clinic for much of the contest. That they still came up short against a 4-12 opponent is concerning, although Harden’s return will give them more firepower as the season progresses.

What’s Next?

Both teams are home Tuesday when the Nets host the Los Angeles Clippers and the Wizards face the Portland Trail Blazers.