Beal's 40 lead Wizards over Knicks
Bradley Beal scored 27 of his 40 points in the second half as the host Washington Wizards blew an early 14-point lead and then stormed back from an 18-point deficit to record a 122-115 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
After a streak of 21 straight games scoring at least 25 points ended Sunday, Beal scored 20 points in the third quarter when the Wizards outscored the Knicks 33-17. He scored 16 of Washington's final 23 points in the period and forged an 87-87 tie into the fourth by hitting a 3-pointer with 37.5 seconds left.
Beal scored seven points in the final quarter when the Wizards pulled away. He hit two layups in a 13-2 run that pushed the lead to 113-99 with 4:03 remaining. The Wizards then sealed the game when Troy Brown Jr. hit an uncontested 3-pointer with 1:23 left for a 116-105 lead after Washington secured two offensive rebounds.
Beal started out 3 of 11 but finished 11 of 25 and also handed out seven assists. He recorded his 23rd career 40-point game and 11th this season.
Shabazz Napier added 21 as Washington outscored New York 68-45 after halftime en route to their 21st win in the past 25 meetings. Thomas Bryant contributed 14 and 10 rebounds while rookie Rui Hachimura chipped in 12 as Washington shot 47.3 percent.
Frank Ntilikina posted his second career double-double with a career-high 20 points and 10 assists as the Knicks lost for the 11th time in 14 games. Bobby Portis also scored 20 points with 16 of those coming in the first half when the Knicks built a 70-54 lead.
Rookie RJ Barrett and Julius Randle added 16 points apiece as New York shot 51.9 percent overall.
Washington scored the game's first nine points, made its first six shots and opened an 18-4 lead with 7:57 left. After coach Mike Miller pulled all five starters following the second timeout, the Knicks came back and were within 36-31 after Davis Bertans ended the quarter with a 3-pointer.
The Knicks opened the second on a 22-5 run outscored Washington 39-18 and held a 70-54 lead at halftime. New York expanded its lead to 76-58 on a hoop by Randle with 9:45 remaining but Washington stormed back and eventually took control.
--Field Level Media
