Traore and Riley close strong as Nets fend off Wizards 121-115

The game turns into a shot-for-shot sprint down the stretch, and Brooklyn has just enough answers to survive it. After Washington claws all the way back from a 17-point hole, the Nets lean on Nolan Traore and Will Riley to slam the door in a frantic final three minutes, escaping with a 121-115 win on Saturday night.

Brooklyn is in control early. The Nets open with a 35-23 first quarter, and the first real swing comes during an 11-0 burst that flips a 13-12 edge into a 24-12 cushion. The possession that signals the run is E. Liddell’s running finger roll layup, a clean finish in traffic that gets the building going and forces Washington into chase mode before the first quarter is even over. Washington steadies itself enough to trim the margin by halftime, but Brooklyn still walks to the break up 59-54 after carrying the pace and winning the early physical battle.

Then the Wizards start to punch back. The third quarter is where Washington finds its footing, and B. Carrington’s 14-foot step-back jumper fuels an 8-0 run that cuts a 64-54 deficit to 64-62. Suddenly, every Brooklyn mistake feels magnified. The Nets briefly lose the cushion they built, and the lead changes begin to pile up as Washington keeps attacking the paint and putting pressure on the rim. By the end of the third, Brooklyn’s one-point edge — 85-84 — feels like it could go either way.

The fourth quarter becomes the game everyone came to see. Washington actually grabs a four-point lead at 89-85, and Brooklyn has to dig in. That’s where the Nets’ poise shows up. T. Etienne drills a 24-foot three to start an 8-0 burst that swings the score back to 93-89, and Brooklyn never lets the game drift too far out of reach again. Washington keeps answering — L. Black knocks down a three, then the Wizards keep it within a possession late — but Brooklyn keeps finding the next bucket. The biggest sequence comes inside the final three minutes: D. Powell comes up with a steal at 2:38, then finishes a running finger roll at 2:33 to turn a 105-105 tie into a 107-105 lead. That’s the defensive crack that opens the door.

From there, Traore takes over the backcourt. He finishes with 23 points and seven assists, but his most important contributions come in the clutch. First he beats the defense for a driving layup at 2:07 to make it 109-105, then he steps behind the arc and buries a 25-foot three at 1:15 to stretch the margin to 115-108. J. Wilson adds a 24-footer in between those daggers, and Brooklyn’s late execution finally forces Washington into desperation mode. Still, the Wizards refuse to fold. Will Riley, who pours in 30 points on 56% shooting, answers with a pull-up three, then a driving layup, then a finger roll in the final 20 seconds to finish with 30 and keep the pressure on until the very end. But Brooklyn’s closing sequence is cleaner, and that’s the difference.

Riley’s scoring outburst and Jamir Watkins’ 20 points and eight rebounds kept Washington alive, while Brooklyn’s balance carried the day. Traore’s 23 and seven is the headline, but this win is really about the Nets getting timely offense from multiple places and making the stops that matter when the game tightens. In a matchup with 10 lead changes and a last-minute feel, Brooklyn’s response to every Washington push is what stands out. If the Nets can keep generating this kind of late-game shot-making — and pairing it with plays like Powell’s steal — they’ll like their chances in tight games going forward. For Washington, the near-comeback shows the fight is there, but the closing possessions will sting. For Brooklyn, it’s a win that could matter if the race tightens and head-to-head results start carrying more weight.