The Sports Xchange
Nov 9, 2017
WASHINGTON -- John Wall scored 23 points and Bradley Beal had 22 as the Washington Wizards gained some revenge and perhaps some needed positive momentum with a 111-95 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
Otto Porter contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards, who had lost five of seven starting with a 102-99 road setback against the Lakers on Oct. 25. Washington (6-5) also stopped a three-game home losing streak during which they allowed an average of 121.7 points per game.
Brook Lopez and Jordan Crawford each had 15 points as seven Lakers scored in double figures. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma each scored 13, and Julius Randle had 11 for Los Angeles (5-7).
Lakers guard Lonzo Ball came close to his first career triple-double, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, though the rookie once again labored with his shooting. Ball, who entered shooting 29 percent from the field, finished 3 of 12 overall and 1 of 7 on 3-point tries.
Ball wasn't alone as Los Angeles shot 36 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers in its second road game in as many nights.
The Wizards didn't have shooting woes. They sank 51.8 percent of their field-goal attempts, scored 50 points in the paint and led by as many as 21 points.
Washington shot 60 percent from the field and scored its most points in any first half this season for a 69-56 halftime lead.
Wizards forward Markieff Morris opened the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. Porter's third-quarter jumped put Washington up 91-70, and the margin never dipped below nine again.
Porter sank 7 of 12 shots for 16 first-half points, and Beal added 15 before the break. Wizards backup point guard Tim Frazier had a 3-pointer and three assists during a 13-1 run in the second quarter.
Washington opened the season 3-0 and was one quarter away from a fourth consecutive win, but Los Angeles rallied for a surprise victory after trailing by 10 points late last month.
NOTES: Los Angeles F Brandon Ingram had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the first meeting against Washington. ... Wizards F Markieff Morris went to the locker room midway through the first quarter with an apparent leg injury, but he returned in the second. He missed the opening seven games as he recovered from hernia surgery on Sept. 22. ... The Lakers visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. ... Washington hosts Atlanta on Saturday in the third game of the four-game homestand. The meeting is the first since the Wizards defeated the Hawks in the first round of the 2017 Eastern Conference playoffs.