Strickland, Wizards Dunk Nets

May 3, 1999 / 10:51 PM EDT / CBS/AP

For the first time in his career, Rod Strickland is playing out the string. Even a guard-friendly, run-and-gun victory gave him no cause to celebrate.

Strickland had 24 points and 13 assists Monday night as the Washington Wizards beat the New Jersey Nets 113-102 in a mop-up game that resembled both an All-Star show and a throwback to the high-octane 1980s.

"It doesn't mean anything," said Strickland, the 10-year veteran who got his 21st double-double in 49 games. "It was just one of those games you got to get through, play hard and try to win, obviously, but it was a meaningless game. The stats for the game don't mean anything."

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Rarely has there been this much unabashed offense in this truncated NBA season. The two worst teams in the Atlantic Division

both with great guards and thin frontcourts showed off lots of moves, lots of dunks, lots of fast breaks, tons of turnovers and not much defense.

Mitch Richmond added 24 points, and Otis Thorpe scored a season-high 22 and had 11 rebounds for the Wizards, who won for only the second time in 10 games.

"At a certain point when we didn't have any chance of making the playoffs, I've never been in that situation before," Strickland said. "It was a different feeling. It's been rough. It's a tough feeling not to have anything to play for."

The Wizards took control with a 17-6 run starting late in the third quarter, just as Nets point guard Stephon Marbury sat down with his fourth personal foul. Marbury came back in the fourth and rallied his team from a 13-point deficit to 97-91, but a layup by Strickland and a 3-pointer from Richmond put the lead back in double digits.

Marbury scored nine of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 10 assists as the Nets lost for the fourth time in five games. Their only victory during that stretch came at home against the Wizards on Saurday night. Jamie Feick had a career-high 19 rebounds.

Like Strickland, Marbury is also getting his first taste of meaningless games.

"The two years I've been in the NBA, I've played in the playoffs," he said. "I miss getting ready and getting in tune for that. These are my playoff games I'm playing."

Washington shot 56 percent from the field, and both teams hit more than 60 percent of their shots in the first quarter. The teams also combined for 36 turnovers, including 19 for the Wizards.

"It felt a little bit like the playground out there," Strickland said.

One of the game's biggest attractions never left the bench. Former Wizards center Gheorghe Muresan, the tallest player in NBA history at 7-foot-7, was signed earlier in the day by the Nets and suited up for the first time since the end of the 1996-97 season.

Muresan didn't play he's still rehabilitating after back surgery but the Nets acquired him for the last two games to get an inside track on signing him for next season. Late in the game, the MCI Center roared with the chant of "We want Gheorge!"

Notes: Richmond passed Dave Bing for 40th place on the NBA's career scoring list. Richmond has 18,344, ahead of Bing's 18,327. ... "Fan Appreciation Day," the Wizards' traditional last-home-game promotion, didn't exactly pack them in. The game drew just 14,206, below their season average of 16,178. The Wizards had only two sellouts all year. ... The Nets scored a season-high 38 points in the first quarter. It was also the most points the Wizards have allowed in a quarter this season. ... The Nets are 0-27 when trailing after three quarters.