WASHINGTON — Justin Champagnie scored a season-high 20 points and the Washington Wizards continued their recent improvement with a 119-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.
Alex Sarr added 19 points and CJ McCollum scored 17 for the Wizards, who still have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference (9-23) but have won four out of five for the first time since Feb. 8-16, 2023.
Washington won the rebounding battle 51-33 while holding Brooklyn to a season-low six 3-pointers in 29 attempts (20.7%).
Day'Ron Sharpe, Terance Mann, Ziaire Williams and Drake Powell all had 14 points for Brooklyn (10-22), which has lost three straight following a three-game winning streak.
Washington had a 19-2 advantage in points off turnovers before halftime, and used an 18-4 run that stretched across the first and second quarters to build its lead to 18.
Champagnie's 3-pointer as the first-quarter buzzer sounded made it 37-24. Will Riley added to the lead with a layup to open the second quarter, then fed AJ Johnson for a 3 a couple possessions later that stretched it to 44-26.
Brooklyn got within nine later in the second and third quarters before Washington stretched its lead to 23 by the end of the third and 28 early in the fourth.
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