Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal impressed by team effort after Washington Wizards beat Brooklyn Nets 149-146

An incredible turn of events saw the Washington Wizards overturn a five-point deficit with 12 seconds left on the clock to eventually beat the Brooklyn Nets 149-146. Russell Westbrook exploded for 41 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists including the go-ahead basket as Steve Nash's men collapsed down the stretch.

Kevin Durant led the Brooklyn Nets in scoring with 37 points while Joe Harris dropped eight treys to finish the night with 30. Jeff Green and Kyrie Irving combined for another 49. But it didn't turn out to be enough as Bradley Beal's 37 points helped the Washington Wizards beat the Nets for the second time this season.

Russell Westbrook ecstatic after Washington Wizards beat Brooklyn Nets

Russell Westbrook is back in form after a slow start to the season. He even carried the Washington Wizards in the first half when Bradley Beal struggled. But at the end of the day, all he cares about is winning. Westbrook explained:

"Right now, all that matters is that we get a win. We fought through the night, man. It's so much ups and downs with our team right now but tonight, we got a win. That's all that matters and I'm proud of everyone in the locker room."

Nobody would've relished this win more than Bradley Beal but he knows that the Washington Wizards need to continue the good work.

"I’m going home to my wife and kids, man. We got more work to do. No celebration in the Beal household," Beal said.

Beal did shower praise on his teammates. He has happy with the all-round effort from everyone.

Bradley Beal: "It wasn’t something I needed to see, per se, but I feel like our effort and the way we played was great…It wasn’t just one guy who won us the game or two guys. It was a collective effort from everybody."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 1, 2021

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Beal continues to lead the NBA in scoring with 34.9 points per game.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving lament about Brooklyn Nets' defense against Washington Wizards

The Nets conceded 48 points in the fourth quarter

The Brooklyn Nets have a league-worst defensive rating of 119.9 since trading for James Harden. They were no better today and Kyrie Irving was upset about the same.

"I don’t know if we’re going to get many wins if we allow 48 points in any quarter. I couldn’t guard a stick today," Irving said.

Kevin Durant also gave his two cents on the matter.

"It's not looking great for us defensively giving up that many points. But I've got faith in us," Durant mentioned.

He concluded by explaining what happened in the final play of the game where the Brooklyn Nets missed the chance to steal the win with a layup.

"Coach drew up a great play, we got a wide-open layup. We just didn't finish.-Kevin Durant on final play
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) February 1, 2021