The Brooklyn Nets massively choked Sunday against the Washington Wizards, blowing a 5-point lead with about 8 seconds left and losing by 3. That’s an 8-point swing in the time it takes to grab a beer and pop it open.
And it was particularly stunning that it happened to the Nets, who now boast the most potent three-man combo in the league ― Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving ― and are widely touted as championship contenders.
But their 149-146 collapse (without Harden) might sting for a while.
The Wizards’ Bradley Beal hit a 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds on the clock to pull host Washington within 2, 146-144. Then Russell Westbrook, after Garrison Mathews’ steal, quickly sank another 3-pointer for a 147-146 lead.
The Nets’ Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot missed what could have been the go-ahead layup with less than a second to go. And a Nets foul put Beal at the line, where he made both free throws.
“Maybe we thought we had it in the bag,” Nets coach Steve Nash told the New York Post.
“This was a tough one,” Durant said. “We gave up 149 points, 108 shots. That’s not looking great for us defensively, giving up that many points.”
Even with the victory, the Wizards have the Eastern Conference’s worst record at 4-12. The Nets have the second-best mark at 13-9.
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