Brooklyn crushes Washington in the NBA’s battle of cellar-dweller teams

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Brooklyn Nets finally halted their four-game losing streak to win their second NBA regular-season game following a demolition exhibition over the Washington Wizards, 129-106, on Nov. 17, 2025.

Both teams entered the matchup with identical 1-11 win-loss records, but it was Brooklyn that got free from the shackles of losing as they moved ahead of Washington and the Indiana Pacers at the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference.

All thanks to an offensive explosion from Michael Porter Jr., who did damage during the pivotal second and fourth quarters, where the Nets dominated the Wizards, 35-25 and 35-22, respectively.

Porter Jr. became a one-man show when he went unconscious on the field, converting 11 of 18 to end up with a game-high 34-point performance alongside nine rebounds and seven assists.

Brooklyn banked on Porter Jr.’s scoring ability after a wild and tightly contested first-quarter battle, where the score was deadlocked at 28-all.

As soon as the Nets ran several floppy plays for the former NBA champion, Porter Jr. didn’t hesitate to let it fly from downtown, while also switching to an aggressive attacker when the Wizards closed out on him at the three-point territory.

Porter Jr. also flaunted his improved court vision with seven assists, tying his season high against Orlando last Nov. 15.

Tyrese Martin, who came off the bench for the Nets, sparked the team with his best scoring game of the season after dropping 20 markers in just 26 minutes of action.

The forward picked up where Porter Jr. left off and spearheaded Brooklyn’s offensive barrage midway through the fourth, where they mounted their biggest lead of the ballgame to 24 points.

One of the biggest factors that steered Brooklyn to a momentum-boosting win was their advantage in the battle of the boards, as they outrebounded Washington, 55-38.

Out of those 55 rebounds, seven came offensively, resulting in 12 second-chance points that played a huge part in maintaining their double-digit lead when the Wizards scored seven consecutive points in the final five minutes of the fourth period.

Brooklyn will look to bag its first-ever winning streak of the 2025–2026 NBA season on Nov. 19, as it returns home to face the Boston Celtics.

On the other hand, the Wizards seek to end their misery on Nov. 20 against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.