April 09, 2015
Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Washington Wizards shot a franchise-record 65.3 percent from the field in their 119-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
The Wizards rested All-Star guard John Wall, ending his consecutive games streak at 208.
Ramon Sessions added 19 points, and Marcin Gortat had 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks to help Washington win its fourth straight game.
Trying to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1979, Washington remained a game behind fourth-place Toronto in the Eastern Conference.
Robert Covington scored a career-high 27 points on 8-for-11 shooting for the Philadelphia, and Jason Richardson added 17. The 76ers have dropped seven straight.
Wall had a career-high 18 assists in Washington's 92-83 victory at Memphis on Saturday night and averaged 15 points, 12 assists and 4.3 rebounds in the Wizards' first three games with the Sixers this season.
Nene joined Wall on the inactive list with the Brazilian big man sitting out his third straight game. But the Wizards had no trouble getting the offense going without two of their top players, shooting 53.3 percent from 3-point range and scoring 54 points in the paint.
After Jerami Grant's one-handed slam pulled the 76ers to 82-71 with 5:30 left in the third quarter, the Wizards hit three straight 3-pointers to build a 91-71 lead. They led by 27 before emptying their bench midway through the fourth quarter.
Washington's starters combined to shoot 26 for 36 from the field, with Gortat (8 for 9) and Beal (7 for 9) leading the way.
The Wizards were in control from the opening tip, scoring 35 points in each of the first two quarters and shooting a blistering 72.2 percent in the first half to take a 70-54 lead. Gortat scored 12 points in the first quarter, including three straight baskets to give the Wizards a 27-12 lead. Washington led by as many as 19 in the second quarter before Jason Richardson hit a 3-pointer right before the first-half buzzer.
TIP INS
Wizards: Paul Pierce returned to the lineup after missing the last three games because of an illness. The veteran guard had 10 points in 22 minutes. The Wizards have beaten the Sixers twice in the past week and in six of their last seven meetings.
76ers: The Sixers have their first seven-game losing streak since starting the season 0-17. Point guard Isaiah Canaan missed his third straight game with a right foot sprain after scoring 18 points in back-to-back contests. Nerlens Noel came out in the fourth quarter with a right ankle sprain. He finished with five points and eight rebounds.
UP NEXT
Wizards: At Brooklyn on Friday night.
76ers: At Chicago on Saturday night.
