Lakers Fail To Win 3rd Straight Game After 111-95 Loss To Wizards
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bradley Beal scored 27 points, John Wall had 17 points and 15 assists, and the Washington Wizards beat Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers 111-95 on Wednesday night.
The Wizards won their third straight and prevented the Lakers from getting their first three-game winning streak in more than a year.
Bryant finished with 29 points -- 15 points of them in the first quarter when he shot 6 for 11. He missed nine of his final 11 shots.
Former Wizards player Nick Young helped keep the score relatively close by scoring a season-high 21 points.
Marcin Gortat added 21 points and 11 rebounds for Washington.
The Wizards closed the first half by scoring seven straight and began the third quarter by scoring seven more for a 14-0 run to take a 61-52 lead with 9:24 to play in the period.
Bryant hit two free throws with 2:05 to play to cut Washington's lead to 97-93, but the Wizards outscored the Lakers 14-2 to pull away.
Kris Humphries had 20 rebounds, three short of his career high, as the Wizards outscored the Lakers in the paint 56-20.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Coach Byron Scott hopes that he can convince Bryant to consider playing beyond next season, the last on his current contract.
"He's got a lot left in that tank. I think if we put something together that excites him, we have a real good chance of saying, `play another year."' ... G Jeremy Lin was scoreless -- missing all 10 of his field goal attempts -- six of them 3-pointers. ... Los Angeles had a season-high 12 3-pointers
Wizards: F Paul Pierce, who had 14 points, left the game late in the third quarter with an injury to his right big toe. ... F Nene missed his fifth straight game with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. ... Coach Randy Wittman was asked if he thought Young had changed. "He still shoots a lot," Wittman said. ... Wall's 15 assists were a season high and one off his career high.
UP NEXT
Lakers: At Celtics on Friday.
Wizards: Host Nuggets on Friday.
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