WASHINGTON — John Wall scored 22 points despite dealing with migraine headache symptoms earlier in the day, Bradley Beal added 19 points and the Washington Wizards cruised past the Brooklyn Nets 129-108 on Friday night.
Brandon Jennings had 18 points, one of three bench players to score in double-figures as the third-place Wizards moved a game ahead of idle Toronto in the Eastern Conference.
Wall and Jennings each had nine assists as Washington won its second straight before embarking on a five-game road trip.
Justin Hamilton scored 20 points off the bench to lead the Nets a day after Brooklyn beat Phoenix 126-98 for its second-largest win of the season.
Washington’s second unit outscored Brooklyn’s 33-14 in a first-half onslaught, helping coach Scott Brooks give some rest to his starters before Saturday’s game at Cleveland.
Wall and Beal each played 24 minutes, with Wall seeing fewer than 30 minutes of action in a game for just the third time this season. Neither played in the fourth quarter.
Washington trailed 13-4 early before outscoring Brooklyn 55-18 over a 15-minute stretch of the first and second quarters. The Wizards led 63-42 at halftime and by at least 14 throughout the second half.
TIP-INS
Nets: Suffered their 30th road loss off the season. … Allowed their most points since a 130-116 loss at Portland on March 4.
Wizards: Have swept the season series with Brooklyn in three of its last four seasons. … Improved to 18-11 in games that are part of back-to-back sets.
STAYING IN
Before the game, Brooks explained why he didn’t consider automatically sitting Wall given his symptoms earlier in the day. Wall has played in 70 of Washington’s 72 games.
"Our medical team and our players, that’s their expertise," Brooks said. "I like guys that want to play. He’s not going to put himself in harm’s way. . But if he feels like he can play, I think that’s a great asset and a great trait to have as a player and as one of the leaders of the team."
"THE PERFECT ROLE"
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 17 points in his first game against Brooklyn since leaving the Nets for Washington at the February trade deadline. He entered Friday averaging 14.6 points in 16 games off the bench, often benefiting from Wall’s distribution.
"I think he’s in the perfect role for him right now," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "It’s like being a receiver playing with a great quarterback. He kind of sits there in the corner and Wall throws those 1,000 mile-an-hour fastballs to him."
UP NEXT
Nets: Close a two-game road trip at Atlanta on Sunday.
Wizards: Begin their road trip at Cleveland on Saturday.
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