The Washington Wizards received a little help from a lot of places Saturday in a 112-108 comeback road victory over the Denver Nuggets. Bradley Beal paced Washington with a team-high 23 points while reserve John Wall finished with a 14 points, 12 assists double-double, his second straight. The duo didn't operate alone, however, on a night in which the Wizards boasted six players in double-figures.
After a relatively slow paced first half, Washington trailed Denver 50-45. No one on the roster other than rookie guard Beal could claim double-digits in scoring (13 of his 23 points, 3-for-5 from behind the three-point arc). In the third, Wall and the Wizards stepped things up. Forward Trevor Ariza chipped in 11 of his 14 points within the third period while forward-center Kevin Seraphin added 14 of his 18 points within the fourth. Wall racked up the assists and Washington ended up with a 67-58 second half advantage over Denver.
The Wall-led Wizards opened the fourth quarter on a 12-0 run and never looked back. Former Wizards center JaVale McGee turned the ball over due to a poor pass, which led to a frustration foul and Seraphin sinking two free throws. Nuggets guard Ty Lawson traveled then coughed up the ball, adding two more quick turnovers to Denver's fourth quarter meltdown. Washington would remain in the lead for the final 10 minutes of the fourth.
Wizards shooting guard Jordan Crawford returned (ankle) in the contest and added 8 points off the bench, none bigger than a three-pointer during Washington's 12-0 fourth quarter start. McGee finished with 6 points and 3 rebounds, but the reserve center did manage an alley-oop finish as well as a nice block while defending against Wizards forward-center Jan Vesely. Nene finished with 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals against his former team, as he helped Washington stay close in the first half. Nene 1, JaVale 0.
The full-strength Wizards will visit the Los Angeles Clippers tonight (10:30 p.m. ET, CSN) looking for their first road win streak of the season.
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