The Brooklyn Nets stayed knotted with the New York Knicks atop the Atlantic Division by beating the Boston Celtics easily, while the Washington Wizards finally broke through for their first win on the season.
NBA standings 2012: Brooklyn stays tied with New York atop Atlantic
The Brooklyn Nets are possibly the league’s hottest team, having won nine out of 11 and four straight, including wins over the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in their last two outings.
Jared Wickerham
The two tightest games Wednesday night were in the Southeast Division. The Atlanta Hawks held off the Charlotte Bobcats 94-91 and have now won six straight and now find themselves just a game behind the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards moved to 1-12 with an 84-82 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Washington nearly kept their ofer on the year, blowing a 15-point lead for what looked like another crushing loss, but they rallied to become the league’s 30th and final team to break into the “win” column.
Brooklyn flustered the Boston Celtics Wednesday night, jumping out to a 20-point lead in the first half before Rajon Rondo started a fight with Kris Humphries that got both players (plus Gerald Wallace) ejected. They've now won nine of 11 after a shaky start, with the only losses coming back-to-back at the end of a West Coast road trip. The Knicks dropped the Milwaukee Bucks easily behind a 29-point effort from Carmelo Anthony, although the Bucks are still tops in the Central Division at 7-6. Brooklyn and New York are now 10-4, opening up a bit of a lead between them and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics are back at 8-7 in the early going, although they've earned their reputation as a second-half team.
The Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs each won easily over Eastern Conference opponents to stay more or less knotted atop the Southwest Division. They’re each riding win streaks, of three and five games, respectively.
Here’s a look at the full standings after Wednesday night’s action:
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