NBA: Nolan Traore's career day helps Nets put away Wizards

Rookie Nolan Traore scored a career-high 23 points and added a game-high seven assists as the Brooklyn Nets held off the visiting Washington Wizards, 121-115, in an Eastern Conference basement battle Sunday in New York.

Jalen Wilson contributed 19 points and five rebounds, while Josh Minott and E.J. Liddell each added 15 points, helping the Nets (19-59) claim just their second win in the past 14 games. Brooklyn also won the season series against Washington (17-61), 3-1.

For the Wizards, rookie Will Riley led the team with 30 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Riley has been a consistent scorer, leading Washington in five of the past six games and averaging 22.5 points per game during that stretch.

Julian Reese posted 17 points and 16 rebounds, marking his third double-double in nine games since signing a two-way contract in late February. Jamir Watkins added 20 points and eight rebounds, Anthony Gill contributed 17 points and five boards, and Bub Carrington chipped in 13 points.

Brooklyn jumped out to an early lead, 35-23, after the first quarter, with Wilson scoring nine points and Traore and Ochai Agbaji each hitting two 3-pointers. The Wizards fought back in the second and third quarters, with Reese and Riley combining for 20 points in the second and Carrington scoring nine of his 13 points in the third. Riley’s buzzer-beater floater cut the Nets’ lead to 85-84 heading into the fourth quarter.

The final period featured six lead changes. Watkins’ 3-pointer with 3:50 left gave Washington a 105-101 advantage, but Brooklyn outscored the Wizards 20-10 in the final stretch. Traore scored 10 of his 23 points during that span, hitting two key 3-pointers in the last three minutes. Wilson also added a crucial 3-pointer in the closing minutes.

Despite being outrebounded 41-35, the Nets capitalized on turnovers, recording 29 assists and committing just 11 turnovers compared to Washington’s 23. Brooklyn scored 37 points off those turnovers, sealing the victory.

Drake Powell added 13 points for Brooklyn.

—Field Level Media/Reuters