Pop quiz, hotshot. Your team is up three in the waning seconds and your opponent is inbounding the ball. Do you just play defense and hope for a stop? Or do you foul before the other team can shoot a three, putting them on the line so they can't tie the game in one possession? Last night at the MCI Center, Wizards coach Eddie Jordan chose the former and his team paid for it. The Wiz, down as much as 16 in the first half, had battled back to take a late three point lead only to give Vince Carter a decent look at a long three as time in regulation expired. Carter's shot hit the back iron like a loaf of bread, sitting on the rim seemingly forever before falling in. It was all downhill for the Wiz from there on in. The Nets scored 18 points in the five minute overtime, one more than they scored in the entire third period, and cruised to a 105-93 win.

There weren't many bright spots for the Wiz. They fell behind 17-2 in the first quarter and spent the night playing catch up. Poor shot selection and too many shots early in possession led to the team shooting 35% for the game. Agent Zero was 6-23 from the field, Antawn Jamison 3-16 and Caron Butler 7-17. Washington was even worse from behind the three point arc, collectively missing 20 of their 27 attempts.

Photo from vincecarter15.com.

Richard Jefferson's ankle injury reduced New Jersey's Big Three by one, but Carter and Jason Kidd trumped Washington's triumvirate without him. Carter scored early and often on his way to a game-high 34 points while Kidd messed around and got a triple double; 15 points, 11 rebounds and 18 assists. Nenad Kristic picked up the slack with 22 points, many of them on open jumpers from playing the pick and roll with Kidd, and 10 rebounds.

The Etan Thomas / Brendan Haywood debate in the pivot will have to wait one more game, as neither was much of a factor against the Nets. Both stayed glued to the bench in the fourth quarter and beyond while Jordan went small with Michael Ruffin in the middle. Ruffin provided energy and toughness, drawing a key charge late in the game that led to the home team's three point lead, but he had trouble staying with the jump-shooting Kristic on the perimeter.

The loss drops the Wizards to 3-3 on the season. They travel to New York on Wednesday to face the Knicks before ending the week with back to back games in Detroit on Friday (nationally televised on ESPN) and at home on Saturday against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.