Nets-Wizards Preseason Shootout Torches DarkHorse Under as Teams Combine for 253

So much for preseason slop. The Nets rolled into Washington and both teams decided the script was for target practice, not camp-body incompetence, lighting up Capital One Arena in a 131-122 Brooklyn victory that sailed past the 221.5 total by more than 30 points. DarkHorse's under call got torched like a defensive scheme drawn up in crayon.

The logic was sound on paper: limited starter minutes, experimental rotations, fringe guys bricking shots while fighting for roster spots. Except nobody told these rosters they were supposed to play like it was a February practice in bubble wrap. Instead, we got 253 combined points, the kind of offensive explosion that makes you wonder if both benches were auditioning for the Globetrotters. Whether it was starters going nuclear in short bursts or camp bodies actually knocking down open looks, the shooting percentages clearly didn't get the "preseason malaise" memo.

Brooklyn's 131 is impressive for any context, let alone October exhibition basketball. Washington kept pace at 122, and suddenly that 221.5 number looks quaint. The Nets win, cover whatever spread existed, and DarkHorse eats a fat miss on the total. Preseason's supposed to be boring. This wasn't. Tough break.