NBA: Bilal Coulibaly’s big night leads Wizards past Nets

Feb 5, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) reacts after recording a triple-double in the fourth quarter of an NBA game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Bilal Coulibaly’s first career triple-double headlined a balanced showing as the Washington Wizards cruised to their first three-game winning streak of the season with a 119-102 rout of the host Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

Coulibaly finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists. He was one of seven Wizards players to score in double figures, led by Jordan Poole with 19 points.

An astounding 40 of Washington’s 44 field goals came off assists to facilitate the team scoring effort. Poole dished eight assists, and Bub Carrington doled out a career-best 10 assists to go with his 16 points.

READ: NBA: Bilal Coulibaly’s career night guides Wizards past Hawks

Carrington also shot 4-of-6 from 3-point range, contributing to Washington’s 20-of-43 mark from deep. Kyshawn George and Corey Kispert, who each scored 17 points, went 5-of-7 and 3-of-6, respectively, from long range.

Although the Wizards outshot the Nets on 3-point attempts by a considerable margin, with Brooklyn going 13-of-38, Washington’s ability to attack the paint fueled the decisive run in the second half.

The Wizards closed the third quarter on a 13-3 burst, with eight of their points coming from layups and a Coulibaly dunk.

The run carried over into the fourth quarter. By the time Richaun Holmes laid in two of his nine points a little more than two minutes into the period, the Wizards outscored the Nets 23-6 and opened up a 22-point lead.

Washington’s advantage swelled to as many as 25 points.

The Nets had a three-game winning streak snapped and held all three of those opponents under 100 points. Keon Johnson led all scorers with 25 points, while Cameron Johnson added 17 points in his first action since Jan. 21 due to an ankle injury.

Tosan Evbuomwan added 15 points off the bench for the Nets, and Day’Ron Sharpe chipped in 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor. –Field Level Media