NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets (14-37) have been in trouble for a long time since the calendar turned into January, but they will have a game here and there and they can face equally difficult opponents. With the Washington Wizards (14-37) in town, Washington didn’t have most of their rotation available, and Brooklyn took advantage.
The Nets beat the Wizards 127-113 on Saturday, leading by 34 points and allowing Brooklyn to make some mistakes in the game but still win by double digits. Forward Michael Porter Jr. had 23 points and six rebounds for the Nets, while center Day’Ron Sharpe had 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench for a Washington team that lacked size.
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The Nets won this game with a focused start, while the Wizards didn’t have many players to rely on, with most of their eight players at the end of the bench. Brooklyn took care of things when they faced injured opponents, so here’s how Nets players graded out after Saturday’s win:
Nolan Traore: B
Traore did a great job scoring the ball in an efficient manner, shooting with ease, especially considering how compromised Washington’s defense was in this game. Traore has shown some quality playing time as the starting point guard, and he showed off his ability to score and distribute the ball against the Wizards.
Yegor Demin: D
Deming struggled offensively in this game, and although he got some open looks against a shaky Wizards defense, he couldn’t find a shot from three. To be fair, most of Deming’s misses were shots he normally makes, but it’s disappointing that he didn’t play a bigger role in the Nets’ blowout victory.
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Michael Porter Jr.: B
Porter had a solid scoring performance overall, although he continued to struggle behind the three-point line as he tried to deal with opposing defenses forcing him to give up the ball or take poor shots. Porter did a great job rebounding, he made some nice plays in his hands, and Brooklyn had one of its best offensive games of the season.
Noah Clooney: B
Clowney seemed to shake off his slump in this game, looking confident with his three-point shot and appearing to be more present on the court than he has been in recent weeks. While Clowney still brings more than just his scoring to the starting lineup, part of the reason the Nets played so well in December was his offensive contributions.
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Nick Claxton: B
Claxton excelled in limited minutes against the Wizards as the Nets easily took a huge lead in the first half. Claxton, who is still playing through an injured pinky finger, is doing his best on the court, but sometimes he has to be careful with the ball in his hands as he tries to rebound and catch lob passes.
Danny Wolfe: A
Wolfe had one of his best games of the season, scoring from all corners of the floor at an efficient rate that has been a challenge at times in the NBA. That being said, Wolfe does a great job of finishing at the rim, shooting three-pointers, rebounding, and passing, and his entire skill set is on full display.
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Daron Sharpe: A+
Similar to Nick Claxton, Sharp had a pretty easy time against the Wizards as Alex Sarr was out of the lineup and Tristan Vukcevic became Washington’s only big man. Sharp will sometimes go up against Vukcevic or Anthony Gill on the court, but he has his own way of scoring and rebounding in the paint. Sharp turned the ball over more than usual, but did a good job defending his active hands in passing lanes.
Terence Mann: B
Mann saw some playing time in this one, with new signings Ochai Agbaji and Josh Minot not playing as they acclimated to the scheme of things on both ends of the court, and he did what he has done all season when given the chance to play. Mann’s touch on the ball is very efficient, and he passed the ball well to his teammates in this game.
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Derek Powell: C
Powell got a lot of playing time in this game, and even though the Wizards were missing most of the rotation, Powell still struggled on the offensive end. Powell was very aggressive with the ball, but his shooting was a bit difficult, but he handled the ball well, made no mistakes, and also made some beautiful performances on the defensive end.
Ben Saraf: B-
Saraf had a great overall performance, making an impact on the offensive end of the court with his scoring and passing, something the Wizards’ defense can take advantage of. Saraf wasn’t the most efficient, but he had some nice drives to the rim, and most importantly, he took care of the ball while letting his teammates get it where they wanted.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. scores 23 points in 127-113 win over Wizards
