Brooklyn @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 22, 2017 ) Washington 84, Brooklyn 119

The Brooklyn Nets controlled games against Washington twice in December and look to complete a season sweep of the host Wizards when the teams meet on Saturday. Brooklyn limited Washington to an average of 91 points in the two victories, the latter one being a 119-84 trouncing.

The Wizards have won seven of their last 10 games after recording a 125-119 victory over Orlando on Friday, and everyone quickly focused the attention to the Nets. "We have to get better," Washington coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "Brooklyn beat us twice, and they beat us with speed this last game. We got to get better." The Nets, who led by as many as 40 points during their most-recent meeting with the Wizards, halted a three-game slide with a 110-105 victory over Atlanta on Friday. Brooklyn point guard Spencer Dinwiddie continued his rise with 20 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, and scored the go-ahead basket with 11 seconds remaining.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE NETS (16-26): Jahlil Okafor slowly has been fed into the system since being acquired from Philadelphia last month, and he was a solid contributor with a season-best 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting in just 12 minutes versus the Hawks. Okafor scored 11 of his points in the fourth quarter and it was the second time in the last four games that the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft reached double digits. "I had a lot of easy buckets because of my teammates just dropping the ball off to me, and I was wide-open," Okafor told reporters.

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (24-18): All-Star point guard John Wall (27 years, 128 days) became the youngest player in franchise history to reach 10,000 career points with Friday's 30-point effort, and he also impressed coach Scott Brooks with his desire. Wall rolled an ankle late in the final seconds of the second quarter and limped off the floor with his availability looking in doubt before returning and producing a 10-point third quarter. "That guy just tapes it up, goes out there and competes," Brooks told reporters. "It's what makes him a special player. He's a competitor, and we needed every bit of his effort and energy, defensive toughness and offense and shot-making ability."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Nets have dropped their last four visits to Washington.

2. Wizards backup C Ian Mahinmi was 7-of-8 shooting on Friday as he registered season highs of 17 points and three blocked shots while also grabbing eight rebounds.

3. Brooklyn SF DeMarre Carroll (knee) returned from a two-game absence to contribute 13 points and four steals against Atlanta.

PREDICTION: Wizards 116, Nets 107