Wizards put win streak on line against Nets

(SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Wizards will take their four-game winning streak to the Barclays Center Friday night for a matchup with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Wiz defeated the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks at home before embarking on a three-game road trip. They continued their fine form with a nine-point win in Memphis, then a 29-point thrashing of the 76ers on Wednesday.

Bradley Beal scored 21 points to lead seven Washington players in double figures as the Wizards cruised against the Sixers.

The Wizards routed the Sixers without star guard John Wall, who was given the night off. Wall's replacement, Ramon Sessions, totaled 19 points with seven assists.

Marcin Gortat had 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks for Washington, which shot a franchise-best 65.3 percent in the wire-to-wire victory.

"We got some really good looks because of our ball movement," said Washington coach Randy Wittman.

Kris Humphries and Kevin Seraphin scored 12 points apiece for the Wizards.

Washington returns home Sunday for its home regular-season finale, then plays its last two on the road.

The Wizards wrapped up a playoff berth and are one game behind the Toronto Raptors for fourth and 1 1/2 games behind the Chicago Bulls for third in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets are tied with the Boston Celtics for the seventh seed in the East. They are one game in front of the Indiana Pacers and 1 1/2 clear of the Miami Heat.

Brooklyn has lost two of its last three, but is 7-2 in its past nine. The Nets had a five-game home winning streak come to an end Wednesday in a 114-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Atlanta trailed 109-108 when out of a timeout, coach Mike Budenholzer drew up a play to get Al Horford a clean look underneath on a feed from Kyle Korver.

Jarrett Jack and Bojan Bogdanovic missed triples at the other end. Jeff Teague secured the rebound on the second miss and made two free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining to account for the final margin.

Joe Johnson's turnaround 3 from the left wing went in and out as the buzzer sounded.

"I thought it was on line, not necessarily a great shot," said Johnson on his last second attempt. "But that was the best shot available for us."

Brook Lopez posted 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets. Deron Williams and Thaddeus Young also recorded double-doubles, and Johnson scored 21 points in the setback.

The Wizards won two of three meetings this season and two straight in Brooklyn.