Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times
The Nets' Kevin Garnett (2) and the Wizards' Garrett Temple chasing down the ball in the first half. Garnett, with limited playing time, scored 7 points.
The players — Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Brook Lopez — have a combined 35 All-Star selections. Heading into Wednesday's game, they had shared the court for a total of only 78 minutes over the course of nine games this season.
With Pierce continuing to come off the bench and Garnett seeing limited playing time, the five players were rarely on the floor at the same time, but in the fourth quarter they played together and nearly rallied the team from an 8-point deficit before coming up short.
The Nets repeatedly left Washington's shooters open on the perimeter, and the Wizards took advantage by going 12 for 20 from 3-point range. Washington's shooting confidence was bolstered by its dominance in the paint, with 19 offensive rebounds keeping the team's possessions alive.
John Wall scored a team-high 21 points, and Bradley Beal, the team's blossoming second-year star, scored 15. Adding to the punch from the dynamic young backcourt, Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster both proved too much for the Nets' defensive scheme, which Jason Kidd, the team's first-year coach, had praised for its simplicity as his players won four times in five games heading into Wednesday.
The Nets' struggles to contain Washington's offense muted the return of Lopez from a sprained ankle that had kept him out of the last two games.
Back in the paint, Lopez was the focal point of the Nets' offense in the first half, but he had a difficult and tentative night on defense. Although he finished the game with 22 points, he had only five rebounds and often looked overmatched as Trevor Booker and Marcin Gortat combined for 23 rebounds.
In his new role as a sixth man, Pierce gave the Nets what they needed on both ends of the floor, scoring a season-high 27 points and preventing the game from becoming a blowout. When he checked in with less than four minutes left in the first quarter, he hit an immediate 3-pointer, leading the team on a 12-3 run that made the game interesting.
Before the game, Kidd cited Pierce's leadership in discussing why he liked having the 16-year veteran come off the bench.
"Understanding that when things get a little hectic, he can control things," Kidd said.
Kidd was noncommittal about how long the experiment would last, but he said Pierce had made the transition well, and without complaint, after starting 1,099 of 1,102 games during 15 seasons with the Boston Celtics.
"You talk about a future Hall of Famer being able to make the adjustment of coming off the bench, helping the team, understanding that makes the team stronger," Kidd said. "It just shows his character as a person and as a player."
But in the end, a day that started with Kidd talking about the faith his players and the Nets' organization have shown in him ended with the team's still-obvious flaws being exposed.
REBOUNDS
Reggie Evans, who has found his role greatly diminished in the Jason Kidd era, entered the game in the third quarter to loud chants of "Reg-gie! Reg-gie!" He played six minutes. ... Deron Williams tied his season high with 13 assists. ... On Wednesday, Spike Lee revealed on Twitter that Ray Allen of the Miami Heat planned to wear "J. Shuttlesworth" on his jersey during his team's matchups with the Nets on March 12 and April 8. Players on both sides will have nicknames on their jerseys rather than their last names. The name is a reference to Allen's character, Jesus Shuttlesworth, in Lee's film "He Got Game."
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