The Brooklyn Nets (24-51) had been in the midst of a stretch in which it seemed like they were losing nearly every game that they played coming out of the All-Star Break. While Brooklyn was coming off a crushing blowout loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, they had a chance of changing that with a visit to the Washington Wizards (16-58) and they finally pulled through.
The Nets beat the Wizards 115-112 on Saturday in what was an exciting game from start to finish thanks to how both teams were playing on the offensive end of the floor, including how Brooklyn finished the game. Tyrese Martin led the way for the Nets with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists while Jalen Wilson had one of his best games of the season with 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Things got interesting in the fourth quarter of this one with the way that Colby Jones and AJ Johnson played for a young Wizards team, but Brooklyn was able to make the necessary plays down the stretch despite losing Cam Johnson and Noah Clowney going down with injuries. Here are the Nets player grades following Saturday's win at the Wizards:
Tyrese Martin: A-
Martin drew another start with D'Angelo Russell out of the lineup due to his right ankle injury being managed and he played well as the starting point guard for the team. While Martin is more of a combo guard than he is a true point guard, he has some moments where he looks like he could be a reliable ball-handler for Brooklyn next season. Martin did a great job of scoring the ball at all three levels and he took care of the basketball as well.
Keon Johnson: B
Johnson continued his strong play as of late as he had everything working for his offensive game with the way that he was shooting the ball, especially from three-point land. In an up-and-down kind of game like this turned into, Johnson seems to thrive with his ability to get out into the open floor and make plays with his athleticism. Mind you, Johnson shot the ball incredibly well, especially from the corners.
Cam Johnson: A-
Johnson had one of his better games of the season as he shot the ball well overall despite his continued struggles from three-point land. As Johnson has done plenty of times this season, he drove to the rim repeatedly and he was able to generate some nice plays out of those actions along with trips to the free-throw line. Johnson continues to be the best playmaker on the team with the way that he found his teammates for numerous baskets.
Ziaire Williams: C-
Williams had a game that he would like to forget as he couldn't get anything to drop from anywhere on the floor, especially from behind the three-point line where he had been shooting the ball so well during March. Aside from his shooting woes, Williams did a good job of doing the little things by going to the boards and playing solid defense on the ...
