NEW YORK — Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert each scored 16 points, and the Brooklyn Nets overcame blowing a double-digit second-half lead and took advantage of a costly mistake by the Washington Wizards in the final seconds to pull out a 103-98 victory Tuesday night.
Brooklyn’s Allen Crabbe hit a 3-pointer with 43.8 seconds left to put the Nets up 100-98. Bradley Beal missed a potential game-tying pull-up jumper and Spencer Dinwiddie was then fouled, making one of two free throws to increase the lead to 101-98.
A timeout by Washington advanced the ball past halfcourt, but Tomas Satoransky was unable to inbound the ball in time, drawing a 5-second violation. LeVert then made two free throws with 7 seconds left to seal the win.
Playing at home for the first time in over a week after playing a game in Atlanta and two games in Mexico as the home team, the Nets returned to the Barclays Center had a total of seven players score in double figures.
DeMarre Carroll had 15 points, Crabbe chipped in 13, Tyler Zeller added 12, and Dinwiddie and Jarrett Allen each contributed 11.
Beal scored 28 points to lead the Wizards despite making only 11 for 33 from the field.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 12 points and Otto Porter Jr. added 11 for a Washington team that dropped to 4-5 without John Wall.
The Washington star point guard was listed as questionable and went through his pregame routine but sat on the bench in his warmups. Wall has been out since Nov. 25 due to a sore left knee, but is expected to return Wednesday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Nets led 74-60 after Dinwiddie’s basket with 4:32 left in the third quarter before Washington went on a 10-3 run to close out the period, taking an 84-79 lead in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter on four straight points from Jason Smith and Beal.
Both teams traded baskets the rest of the way before Beal stringed together three consecutive points to increase Washington’s lead to 98-97 with 51 seconds left.
The Wizards ended their five-game trip going at 3-2.
The Nets tallied 26 assists on 34 field goals.
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson does not have a timetable as to when Brooklyn’s recently acquired center Jahlil Okafor and guard Nik Stauskas would get into a game.
The team used a Sunday workout and a practice on Monday to get to know the duo who was acquired last Thursday in a trade with Philadelphia.
“This isn’t CYO, where you show up at 4 o’clock and you meet your teammates and you just throw them out there,” Atkinson said. “We have a ton of plays, a defensive system. We want to put both those guys in a position to succeed, a position to help the team. I can’t give you an exact date.”
The Wizards return home Wednesday to face Memphis, the opener of a four-game home stand.
The Nets host the New York Knicks on Thursday for the first time in Brooklyn this season. The Nets lost their first meeting with the Knicks, 107-86, on Oct. 27.
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