Nets dismantle Wizards and get first win of Fernandez era

In a comfortable home defeat, the Brooklyn Nets climbed to 1-1 in the 2024/25 preseason with a 131:92 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Brooklyn took full advantage of Alex Sarr’s absence in the first quarter, scoring the first 16 points of the game from central defense. Replacing the injured Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons started at center and showed the resurgence his colleagues were raving about all summer. The 28-year-old shot 3 of 5 from the field and had six points, two assists and four rebounds while tackling Washington’s Corey Kispert. Thanks to Simmons’ support, the Nets overcame a slow start and outlasted a struggling Wizards squad to hold a 28-20 lead after 12 minutes of play.

That lead quickly faded after Brooklyn began the second quarter much like the first. As soon as the reserve team arrived, Washington orchestrated a 20-7 run and forced the Nets into a five-minute point drought. The dry spell was finally broken by a mid-range jump shot from Cam Thomas. After their dominant inside performance early in the contest, Brooklyn was locked out of the painted zone until Cameron Johnson delivered in transition around the four-minute mark. The starters eventually got back into the game and ended the half with a 16-1 run led by Simmons, Johnson and Thomas, resulting in a nine-point lead at halftime.

Brooklyn’s ball movement in the third quarter was no match for the Wizards’ defense, increasing their run to 22-2 late in the first half and securing a comfortable 19-point lead. Thomas continued to heat up, scoring seven of his 17 points in the third period to go along with Jalen Wilson’s season-high 11 points off the bench. Washington was unable to get anything done on offense, largely due to lackluster long-range shooting and intense attacks from Noah Clowney and Ziaire Williams.

With the game almost out of reach, head coach Jordi Fernandez opted to rest his starters and use his less experienced players to finish the game. Brooklyn’s bench, particularly Wilson and Shake Milton, continued to torment the Wizards’ defense. By the end of the fourth quarter, the Nets had a 41-point lead over Washington, sending a strong message to their doubters who had served all summer.

Now that he has his first win as a head coach, Fernandez and Co. travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on October 16th at 7pm EST.

To access the final box score from the Brooklyn Nets win over the Washington Wizards, Click here.

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