New on Sports Illustrated: Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal Drain Back-to-Back Threes to Steal Win vs. Nets

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Beal and Westbrook hit a pair of threes within the game's final 10 seconds as Washington earned a 147-146 win to beat Brooklyn.

The Wizards appeared to be headed for their eighth loss in the last nine games on Sunday night as they faced the Nets, trailing Brooklyn 146-141 with 12 seconds remaining. But Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook had other ideas.

Beal raced up the floor and hit a three from the top of the key, cutting Brooklyn's lead to two points with just over eight seconds left. Nets guard Joe Harris then tossed the inbounds pass to Washington guard Garrison Matthews, who quickly gave the ball to Westbrook. The 2016-17 MVP let a triple of his own fly, draining the three to put Washington up 147-146 with less than five seconds remaining. 

Beal and Westbrook's heroics were almost for naught as Brooklyn had a chance to steal the win with 4.3 seconds remaining. Nets forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had a wide-open look at the rim as time expired, but his layup rattled out as Washington held on for the narrow victory.

Washington isn't contending for the Eastern Conference crown anytime soon. The Wizards still sit last in the East at 3–12, and Beal could be dealt by March's trade deadline. But why focus on the negative after such an exciting victory? Sunday marked the high-point of the Wizards' season, and frankly, the contest was one of the most thrilling moments of 2020–21. Perhaps Washington's comeback victory can spark a resurgence of sorts in the nation's capital 

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