Rui Hachimura, Corey Kispert lead Wizards past Nets

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Rui Hachimura scored 20 points, Corey Kispert added 16 and the Washington Wizards beat the Brooklyn Nets 117-103 on Thursday night.

Ish Smith had 15 points, and Dani Avdija 13 to help the Wizards win their second straight.

"It was a big win. We needed this one," Hachimura said. "Last night we lost a tough game and we came back with a good energy especially at their home."

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The Wizards improved to 27-31 and moved a game behind Charlotte and Atlanta for a play-in spot with 24 games remaining in the regular season.

Patty Mills scored 22 points, and Cam Thomas added 20 for the Nets, coming off a comeback victory at New York on Wednesday night. They have lost 12 of 14.

Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura (8) reacts after scoring three points in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

"We’re excited. We have 22 games to come together as a team," Nets coach Steve Nash said. "Hopefully, we have a good run of health where we can really build something in a short period of time and get a better seed and also more cohesions going into the playoffs."

The Nets fell behind by 13 points early in the third quarter and got consecutive 3-pointers from Cam Thomas and Jevon Carter to take a 76-73 lead with 1:36 left in the period.

Smith and Kispert combined for seven straight points to extend Washington's lead to 95-83 with under eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter before the Nets mounted a second comeback.

Thomas, the hero in the comeback win over the Knicks, cut it to 106-100 on a baseline jumper with