Nets use late 15-0 run to pull through in comeback win over Wizards

It’s been a rough few weeks for the Nets, who have struggled with injuries, as well as a difficult schedule. 

And midway through the fourth quarter on Sunday, it seemed the Nets were on the verge of their worst loss of the young season. 

But then the team clamped down on defense and got enough scoring down the stretch — primarily from Mikal Bridges — and pulled away for a 102-94 win over Washington at a sold-out Barclays Center. 

“It was definitely an ugly win,” Nic Claxton said. “But I’d rather have an ugly win than an ugly loss.” 

Before the game, head coach Jacque Vaughn said he wanted the struggling Bridges to keep shooting — especially from 3-point range. 

Bridges said he didn’t set out to take as many shots as he did, but finished with a game-high 27 points (on 11 of 29 shooting from the floor and 2 of 14 from 3-point range) and took over down the stretch, as the Nets used a late 15-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into a win. 

“It’s great because these are games you can definitely lose,’’ Vaughn said. “We really executed at the end.” 

Combined with some stellar defense by Claxton, back from a sprained ankle, the Nets helped make up for the absence of Ben Simmons, who missed his third straight game with a left hip contusion, leaving their fast-break offense almost nonexistent. 

The Nets also out-rebounded Washington 66-42 — including 20-7 on the offensive glass — thanks to Bridges and Claxton each grabbing 13 boards apiece. 

The victory got the Nets back to .500 (5-5). 

Down by five points after a Jordan Poole 3-pointer with 4:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Nets clamped down on defense and put the game away. 

Claxton provided the physicality on defense the Nets were looking for upon his return, including a key block of a Kyle Kuzma shot with the Nets protecting a 3-point lead with 55 seconds remaining. 

The Nets had lost three of four coming into the game, although the three defeats came to two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference — the Celtics (twice) and the Bucks. 

The victory was also just the Nets’ second in five games at home. Washington fell to 2-7 and has dropped six of its last seven games. 

The Nets’ led throughout the first three quarters, but it slipped away in the fourth quarter, as the Wizards scored eight points in a row to tie it at 80-80 with 9:43 to go, most of which was with Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie on the bench. 

Dinwiddie replaced Dennis Smith Jr. after the Wizards tied the game, but Washington was still able to take its first lead of the game on a Bilal Coulibaly layup with 7:57 left. 

Coulibaly then put Washington up again, 85-82 with a 3-pointer with 6:44 to go. 

The Nets fell behind by five points before Bridges hit his second 3-pointer of the game after he’d been missing from deep throughout. 

“I just go out there,’’ Bridges said of his mindset. “If I’m open, I’m gonna shoot.” 

A layup from Cam Johnson tied it with 4:58 left. 

A Poole 3-pointer put Washington ahead again, but Bridges tied it with 2:21 to go with a driving layup. 

Bridges then put the Nets up again by hitting 1 of 2 free throws and then gave them a three-point lead with a short fadeaway jumper with 1:28 left. 

The Nets led by as many as 17 points in the first quarter, as they got off to a fast start behind a dozen points from Bridges, even as he missed all five of his 3-point attempts in the quarter.