1 of 3 | Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) steals the ball against the Orlando Magic in the first half at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. on March 5, 2017. Photo by Mark Goldman/UPI |
License Photo
March 8 (UPI) -- PHOENIX --John Wall had 25 points and 14 assists as the Washington Wizards gave back a 22-point first half lead and had to rally from 11 down in the second half to beat the Phoenix Suns 131-127 on Tuesday.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 29 points and Bradley Beal had 15 of his 27 points in the first quarter for Washington (38-24). The Wizards won 15 of their last 19 games and have their best 62-game record since starting 43-19 in the 1978-79 season, the last time they reached the NBA Finals.
Eric Bledsoe had 30 points and Devin Booker 25 for the Suns (21-43), who saw their season-high win streak end at three but not before outscoring Washington 47-14 over a 12-minute span of the second and third quarters to turn a 56-34 deficit into an 81-70 lead.
But the Wizards kept coming, taking back the lead for good with a 12-2 run in the fourth quarter, starting with a Bogdanovic 3-pointer with 4:56 left and ending with a Wall layup to make it 122-112 with 2:50 to go. The Suns got back within 129-127 on a Booker 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left but no closer.
It was a wild, see-saw game. The Wizards had a 21-4 run in the first quarter to go up by as many as 14.
Tempers flared in the second quarter when Washington's Jason Smith sent Phoenix guard Tyler Ulis to the ground with a hard pick. Jared Dudley of the Suns and Brandon Jennings of the Wizards were ejected in the altercation that followed and Washington reeled off another 15-5 immediately afterward, with Smith's 17-footer giving the Wizards a 22-point lead at 56-34 with 7:12 left.
The Suns scored the next 10 points, eight by Bledsoe, and he had 13 points during a 27-7 run, capped by two Allen Williams free throws with 1:37 left to cut the Washington lead to 62-61.
Washington led 68-61 at the half, but the Suns outscored Washington 20-2 to open the third quarter and T.J. Warren had nine during the run and his 3-pointer with 7:23 left gave the Suns their biggest lead at 81-70.
The Wizards answered with a 22-4 run of their own, moving back ahead by seven on a Bogdanovic 3-pointer with 1:22 left. The Suns finished strong to trail 94-92 after three and led by as many as three with eight minutes left before Washington responded one final time.
NOTES: G Bogan Bogdanovic made all 16 of his free throws for Washington. ... The Suns were going for their first four-game winning streak in nearly two years. Their last four-game win streak was on March 15-22, 2015. ... Three of Phoenix's 21 wins this season have come on jumpers at the buzzer and all three made by former University of Kentucky guards. The latest came Sunday when Tyler Ulis beat the Boston Celtics 109-106. Eric Bledsoe beat the Portland Trailblazers 118-115 on Nov. 2 and Devin Booker banked in a shot to beat the Sacramento Kings 105-103 on Feb. 3. Before this season, the Suns had three buzzer-beater wins in the last 15 seasons combined (2001-16). ... The Wizards took the series lead 62-61. ... The Wizards are 32-12 since Dec. 5. Only the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have more wins over that span.
