Nets go for 4th straight win at home vs. Wizards
NEW YORK -- Since last Saturday, Spencer Dinwiddie was eligible for a contract extension and as the day approached, he made no secret of his desire to remain with the Brooklyn Nets.
Then he delivered a 25-point showing in a win over the New York Knicks Saturday and followed it up with a career-high 39-point display in a 127-124 win at Philadelphia Wednesday.
A day later, Brooklyn announced Dinwiddie agreed to a contract extension and the guard along with the rest of the Nets will attempt to get a season-high fourth straight win Friday night when they host the Washington Wizards.
Dinwiddie was eligible for a four-year extension worth $47.5 million and multiple media outlets said the 25-year-old agreed to a three-year, $34 million deal with the third year being a player option.
The news began to emerge after the Nets concluded practice but Dinwiddie essentially confirmed it on social media by tweeting, "The journey is just beginning, I'm thankful that (Brooklyn Nets) believe in me enough to give me a home." Shortly after Dinwiddie's tweet, the Nets officially announced it.
Dinwiddie will be playing his 169th game with Brooklyn and it will occur on the second anniversary of his first home game as a Net when he played 13 minutes in a 10-point win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nets are on their second three-game winning streak of the season after losing eight straight from Nov. 21-Dec. 5 in a skid that featured four collapses in the fourth quarter and five single-digit losses.
The streak ended when D'Angelo Russell scored 29 points last Friday and the Nets outlasted the league-leading Toronto Raptors for a 106-105 overtime win. Dinwiddie scored 17 in the Toronto win but then scored 17 of his points in the second half of an eight-point win in New York over the Knicks on Saturday.
He followed it up with a very noteworthy performance, scoring 27 after halftime. Dinwiddie shot 61 percent (11-of-18), hit four 3-pointers -- all from 25 to 29 feet out.
"I think he has offensively been able to impose his skill set," Nets forward Joe Harris said. "His ability just to be able to finish from all three levels on the floor and I think it's really his ability just to get downhill that opens everything else up for him."
Dinwiddie's big night were the most points scored by a Nets reserve since 1981-82, eclipsing the 35 scored by Brook Lopez (2014-15), Derrick Coleman (1991-92) and James Bailey (1986-87).
It also was the most scored by a reserve this season and the most scored by a reserve since Lou Williams produced 40 points for the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 26 at Memphis. According to basketball-reference, it was the 44th showing of at least 39 points by a reserve since 1967.
Dinwiddie is averaging 23.2 points on 51.9 percent shooting in his last five games and Brooklyn's win streak is occurring following a players-only film session at practice the day after blowing a 23-point lead to Oklahoma City on Dec. 5.
"We certainly hope so," Dinwiddie said. "The film session today really enhanced the communication and made us talk just a little bit more and just kind of work through a couple things player to player. You have to be in unison as a group."
Now the Nets will attempt to get a fourth straight win for the first time since winning six straight March 25-April 3, 2015 though Dinwiddie may be in the starting lineup since Allen Crabbe is questionable with a sore right knee.
Meanwhile, the Wizards still remain in search of consistency. They won six of nine and were on their second three-game winning streak of the season last week but head to Brooklyn on a three-game losing streak following losses at Cleveland, Indiana and at home to Boston.
John Wall scored one point in the loss at Cleveland and sat out the Indiana loss due to bone spurs in his left heel. He returned to score 34 points on 14-of-26 shooting to go along with 13 assists but the Wizards took a 130-125 overtime loss.
"The heel is great -- other than the Cleveland game when it flared up pretty bad. In the last two days, just getting a lot of workouts in and treatment in just trying to calm it down," Wall said. "Between today and the Cleveland game, it was night and day. I was moving. It felt a lot better so give a lot of credit to the training staff."
Besides getting at least 30 points for the fourth time, Wall also crashed to the floor after an awkward fall near Kyrie Irving, who made two 3-pointers with Wall contesting.
Bradley Beal added 22 on a night when Otto Porter Jr. sat out with a right knee contusion. Porter was injured Monday and is listed as questionable for Friday, meaning Jeff Green would likely start for him while Kelly Oubre Jr. gets increased minutes as a reserve.
The Wizards are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. Wall scored 30 points in their 102-88 home win on Dec. 1 while Dinwiddie scored 25 in Brooklyn's 115-104 win at Washington on Nov. 16.
