Nets hold off Wizards' rally, beat Washington 119-118

Updated Jan. 19, 2022 9:40 p.m. ET

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 22 of his 30 points in the first half, and the Brooklyn Nets held off the Washington Wizards 119-118 on Wednesday night when Kyle Kuzma and Spencer Dinwiddie missed 3-pointers in the final seconds.

Washington trailed by as many as 16 points, but a 3-pointer by Kuzma cut the lead to one with 36 seconds left. That set the stage for a wild finish. Irving missed a 3 for Brooklyn, but the Wizards couldn't secure the rebound. Then James Harden had a shot blocked by Montrezl Harrell, giving Washington the ball.

The Wizards didn't call a timeout, and the ball ended up with Kuzma, who missed from the left wing. Harrell's offensive rebound gave Dinwiddie a last-ditch shot against his former team, but that was off the mark as well.

LaMarcus Aldridge added 27 points for the Nets, and Harden had 18. Brooklyn won for only the fifth time in its last 12 games and snapped a four-game losing streak at Washington.

Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 23 points.

The Nets are without Kevin Durant because of a left knee injury, and Joe Harris has been out following left ankle surgery. With Irving and Harden, Brooklyn still has plenty of star power.

In fact, the Nets went 16-3 last season when they had Irving and Harden but not Durant. They dropped their first game in that situation this season, Monday against Cleveland.

Brooklyn led 74-62 after shooting 63% from the field in the first half. A 9-0 run by Washington in the fourth quarter cut the lead to one, but a layup by Irving started a 7-0 run by the Nets that made it 111-103.

The Nets improved to 16-5 on the road this season. Only Phoenix (17-4) has been better.

FAMILIAR FACE

Dinwiddie scored 11 points. He was acquired by the Wizards this offseason after blossoming into a quality contributor in five seasons with the Nets.

TIP-INS

Nets: DeAndre' Bembry (back), Nic Claxton (left hamstring) and Paul Millsap (personal) did not play.

Wizards: Joseph Blair coached Washington for a second straight game after coach Wes Unseld Jr. and assistant Pat Delany entered health and safety protocols. ... Beal had nine assists, his 13th straight game with at least five. That ties the longest streak of his career.

UP NEXT

Nets: Visit San Antonio on Friday night.

Wizards: Host Toronto on Friday night.

___

Follow Noah Trister at https://twitter.com/noahtrister

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports