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The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Washington Wizards 113-106 with Blake Griffin stealing the show. The former Slam Dunk champion didn't play many minutes but Twitterverse went wild during his debut in a Nets uniform.
Griffin had two points, two rebounds and a block off the bench. He was on a minutes restriction under injury management for his left knee, but that didn't stop him from pumping adrenaline into the crowd.
Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook almost played to a standstill. The Brooklyn Nets point guard had 28 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. His Washington Wizards counterpart recorded a triple-double with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists.
Twitter was very active for the Brooklyn Nets-Washington Wizards game, mostly because of Griffin, but fans were treated to an exciting match, too.
Blake Griffin made his Brooklyn Nets debut
Blake Griffin came off the bench in the first half and played eight minutes against the Washington Wizards. The few fans that were in the stands cheered loudly to welcome the former All-Star into the Brooklyn Nets family.
He made a defensive play with a huge block on Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal. It was a play reminiscent of his hyperactive days with the LA Clippers.
Griffin was inserted again late in the third quarter and was on the floor early in the fourth. Fans and teammates went wild when Griffin drove down the middle and went up for his first dunk in two years. The dunk wasn't as explosive as his slams from yesteryear but nobody took issue with it.
It was Griffin's first points as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, too, so it was a big deal. The Washington Wizards weren't ready for the takeoff at all!
With Blake Griffin dunking for the first time in two years, fans noted the similarity to James Harden finding his way out of the Houston Rockets by purportedly not playing up to his usual standards and looking out of shape. Who knew Griffin's dunk could create such controversy and conversation on Twitter?
The Washington Wizards fell flat in the end as Brooklyn Nets hold on for the win
The Brooklyn Nets had no answer for Russell Westbrook, who repeatedly drove down the lane to score or find an open teammate.
Unfortunately for the Washington Wizards, Kyrie Irving made the game-winning plays in crunch time. He dished the rock when he found an open teammate and knocked down four clutch free throws in the final minute and 17 seconds of the game.
With the game still within reach and the Washington Wizards behind by just five points with 21.7 seconds remaining, the visitors failed to foul a Brooklyn Nets player to send the game to the line. The game was a wrap from there.
Harden and Westbrook, former teammates in Houston and OKC, had a lengthy chat on the court after the game, while Irving and Beal exchanged jerseys.
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