Nets Vs. Wizards: John Wall Seals Comeback 98-92 Win Late

Hey, a game broke out in the second half. A different Wizards team showed up after the break -- and, well, a different Nets team was on the court, too. In the end, John Wall dagger'd New Jersey with a pair of foul-line jumpers, sending the Wizards to a 98-92 win against the Nets.

The effort was reminiscent of the fourth quarter against the Raptors on Friday as the Wizards kept fighting rather than pack it in. This time they finished the job.

The Wizards won the third quarter 28-12 to claw back from a 13-point deficit at the break. The biggest difference was simply that the Nets went ice cold from the field. After shooting 56 percent in the first half, the Nets cut that in half -- finishing the period at 26.7 percent (including just 1-of-8 from behind the arc).

Jordan Crawford and JaVale McGee led the third-quarter charge, scoring 17 combined points. Crawford continued to present himself as a scoring option for the Wizards, and tonight did so without forcing the issue. He finished with 21 points.

John Wall turned in a typical 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds. No points were bigger than the pair of buckets he scored with the game hanging in the balance and his team in need of a closer. If that jumper is here to stay, look out.

NOTE: I'm heading down for media availability, so please hang tight. I'll be back with more nuggets soon.

Nets Vs. Wizards: John Wall, Washington Trails 56-43 At Halftime

Oof. The Wizards trail the Nets by a score of 56-43 at the end of the first half on Sunday afternoon at the Verizon Center. Washington will need to wake up in the second half if it hopes to end its six-game losing streak.

Here was head coach Flip Saunders before the game: "The one advantage I'm hoping we have is that we've got a lot of college guys, young guys and those guys are used to playing 1 O'clock games."

Yeah, not so much. The Wizards have failed to defend, allowing the Nets to shoot 61 percent from the floor in the first quarter before settling in to finish the half at 56.5 percent. Deron Williams is out with a wrist injury for the Nets, but you almost wouldn't know it the way Jordan Farmar has played. He finished with 11 assists in the first half -- or two more than Washington.

Meanwhile, the Wizards have hit only 45.2 percent of their field goal attempts. John Wall leads the Wizards with 12 points, but he's also missed several bunnies, leaving fast-break points on the table.

Maybe the Wizards will get some coffee in the locker room at halftime.

Nets Vs. Wizards: John Wall, Wizards Play Early Before West Coast Trip

Wake up, Wizards fans -- and turn off that NCAA Tournament nonsense. There's NBA basketball to be enjoyed over brunch! The Nets are in town with a score to settle in the rubber match of the season series between these two teams. The Wizards won the most recent meeting between the teams, a 97-77 win on Jan. 7.

This time around, both teams enter the contest short-handed. For the Nets, Deron Williams will sit as he nurses an injury on his right wrist. His replacement, Jordan Farmer, should prove far more manageable for Washington. Meanwhile the Wizards are still without Nick Young, Andray Blatche, Rashard Lewis and Josh Howard. Cartier Martin will be back after missing last five games.

For the Wizards, that means more of the youth movement. Trevor Booker and Jordan Crawford have taken advantage of the increased playing time and shots while the Wizards are undermanned. Booker had a career-high 26 points against Toronto on Friday night, while Crawford is averaging 20.4 points over his last five games.