Dec 26, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (22) celebrates with Wizards guard John Wall (2) after making a three point field goal in the final seconds against the Milwaukee Bucks in the fourth quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 107-102. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

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The Washington Wizards beat the Brooklyn Nets Friday night at Verizon Center 118-95 and reach the .500 mark after early season struggles.

The Washington Wizards began the month of December at the AT&T Center in a matchup where they lost to the Western Conference powerhouse San Antonio Spurs by just two points.

Since then, the Wizards have won nine of their last 13 games to lift their record to the .500 mark at 16-16.

The Wizards turned their season around and launched themselves back to an even record following a December where they went 10-5. The month also included notable wins against the Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, and a rare road win versus the Chicago Bulls.

Apparently, their recent string of winning basketball wasn’t enough for ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, to keep the Wizards in their national broadcast schedule. Instead, the network elected to swap the Washington Wizards’ January 11th contest against the Boston Celtics with the prominent Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Back to the more important Wizards victory, first-year Wizards player, Trey Burke had a breakout game against the Nets, scoring a season-high 27 points and shooting a perfect five for five from beyond the arc.

Deserving All-Star John Wall recorded his 20th double-double with 19 points and 14 assists along with his eighth double-double in the last nine games. In Wall’s last 10 games, he’s averaged 23.5 points, 10.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals.

Wizards center Marcin Gortat posted a double-double of his own, scoring 19 points with 13 rebounds. Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal missed his fourth game of the season with a right ankle sprain he suffered Wednesday night in a win over the Indiana Pacers. Beal is listed day-to-day.

With their eighth straight victory at home Friday night, the Wizards catapulted into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, currently sitting fifth overall in the East.

Next, the Wizards visit The Lone Star State for a back-to-back set, first against the Houston Rockets then 239 miles north to play the Dallas Mavericks.