Field Level Media
Feb 14, 2018
Bradley Beal had 36 points and Otto Porter Jr. added 22 points to lead the visiting Washington Wizards to a come-from-behind 118-113 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Wizards rallied from a 27-point deficit late in the first half to take the lead late in the third quarter and fended off the Knicks in the fourth quarter to win for the seventh time in nine games since John Wall went down with a knee injury.
It was the largest deficit overcome for a win in the NBA this season.
Tim Hardaway Jr. had 37 points and Enes Kanter contributed 24 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to a season-worst 23-36 after losing their eighth straight game, also a season worst.
Hardaway broke out of a weeks-long slump, and in a hurry. Entering the game on a 5-for-44 streak from 3-point range, Hardaway had 17 points in the first quarter and 32 by halftime, shooting 12 of 14 from the field. He finished 14 of 24.
New York led 39-26 after the first quarter and 72-51 at the half before its offense went cold to open the third quarter. Washington went on a 9-0 run to start the second half and eventually tied the game at 83 with 3:32 left in the third quarter, as all five starters scored multiple field goals during the run.
The Wizards, who entered the game with 26 or more assists in seven of their previous eight games, again topped the lofty mark on Wednesday. Washington had 31 assists, including 11 by forward Tomas Satoransky. Ian Mahinmi added 17 points off the bench for the Wizards, who shot 54.5 percent from the field.
Michael Beasley amassed 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks, who shot just 46.4 percent from the field despite their hot start.
New York travels to Orlando next Thursday after the All-Star break before returning to Madison Square Garden for a brutal two-game set with the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors on Feb. 24 and 26.
Washington, which leads the Southeast Division, concludes a three-game road trip on Feb. 22 against the Cleveland Cavaliers after a weeklong layoff.
--Field Level Media