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Williams hits 11 3-pointers to help Nets down Wizards

Mar 9, 2013 - 5:29 AM Brooklyn, NY (Sports Network) - Deron Williams had a first quarter to remember and finished with a Nets record 11 3-pointers, as Brooklyn cruised past the Washington Wizards, 95-78, at Barclays Center.

Williams set an NBA record with nine 3-pointers in the first half, including a 7-for-7 effort in the game's first eight minutes.

"I definitely got hot, especially in the first half," Williams said. "I hit the first couple and the shots, when they left my hand, felt good."

Behind Williams' 42-point effort, the Nets led by as many as 27 and ended a three-game skid at home with relative ease despite scoring just 36 points in the second half.

Reggie Evans pulled down a career-high 24 rebounds and, along with Brook Lopez, was Brooklyn's next highest scorer with 11 points.

The Wizards have dropped two in a row since star rookie Bradley Beal went down with an ankle injury. Unlike Williams, they were 3-of-17 from behind the arc and shot 36 percent overall. John Wall led the way with 16 points, while Nene and Kevin Seraphin chipped in 11 apiece in the setback.

Williams entered the game hitting 36.9 percent from the perimeter, but that number has improved each month this season as his ankle problems have appeared to subside. No more was that evident than during Brooklyn's game-opening 16-0 run, as the three-time All-Star drained four from long range.

"He's been excellent, and I think most of it relates to him feeling better. He's not pain free, but he seems to be in a better place," Nets head coach P.J. Carlesimo said of his point guard.

Nene got a jump hook to fall to get the Wizards on the board, only to have Williams follow with two more from long range on back-to-back possessions.

His seventh 3-pointer made it 31-9, and Carlesimo subbed the point guard out with 2:30 remaining, denying him a shot at tying Michael Redd's NBA record of eight 3-pointers in one quarter.

After hitting his next 3-point attempt midway through the second, Williams finally missed on the ensuing possession.

His ninth trey late in the first half matched Vince Carter's franchise record and evened Williams' point total with that of the Wizards, as the hosts held a comfortable 59-33 lead at the break.

Williams added another deep make on the Nets' first possession of the second half, but like the rest of his teammates, was limited the rest of the third.

Washington cut its deficit to 74-58 heading to the fourth, but the closest it got was 13.

"Tonight wasn't our night," Wall said. "When you're not making shots and someone gets hot, it's tough to stay in the game."

Williams made his 11th triple with 1:39 remaining and spotted up from well beyond the top of the key the next time down. But that shot found iron, and Keith Bogans inexplicably took shots on the final two Nets possessions.

Game Notes

Williams, who wound up 11-of-16 from long range, was one 3-pointer shy of matching the NBA record held by Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall ... Williams averaged 16.7 points in 50 games prior to the All-Star break and has netted 23.8 in nine contests after ... The Nets are 22-3 against teams with a sub .500 record ... The Wizards have held their opponents to under 100 points in their last 11 road games -- the longest such streak in the NBA this season -- but they are just 3-8 in that stretch.