A magical night for 20-year-old Bilal Coulibaly turned into something really special, as he grabbed his first career triple-double while leading the Wizards to a dominant 119-102 win over the Nets.
The young star put up 11 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, making it look easy at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. He even threw in two steals and a block for good measure.
“It means a lot. It just came like that,” Coulibaly said after the game. “Everybody was open, hitting shots. So, it made it easier for me.”
The Wizards were missing French teammate Alex Sarr, who’s been out for five straight games with a bad ankle. But that didn’t slow them down one bit.
Serbian backup Tristan Vukcevic stepped up big time, dropping 12 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in just 18 minutes off the bench.
What’s really impressive? The Wizards dished out assists on 40 of their 44 field goals. That’s some serious team basketball.
Jordan Poole added 8 assists of his own, while Bub Carrington had the best game of his career with 16 points and 10 assists.
The game really broke open in the third quarter when Washington went on a 13-3 run. Coulibaly capped it off with a monster dunk that got everyone out of their seats.
Things just got worse for Brooklyn in the fourth, as the Wizards outscored them 23-6 and pushed the lead to 22 points.
The Nets had been playing great defense lately, holding their last three opponents under 100 points. But that streak ended last night.
Keon Johnson led all scorers with 25 points for Brooklyn, and Cameron Johnson added 17 in his first game back since getting hurt on January 21.
The win gave Washington their third straight victory while snapping Brooklyn’s three-game winning streak. For Coulibaly, it was a night he’ll never forget.
