By ,
Published January 08, 2015
Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - John Wall scored 17 points and handed out 15 assists to lead Washington to a 111-95 win over the Lakers on Wednesday.
Wall was just 6-of-18 from the field, but he set up his teammates and ran the Wizards offense effectively as they picked up their third straight win.
Bradley Beal led Washington with 27 points and collected seven assists himself. Marcin Gortat contributed 21 points and 11 boards, and Kris Humphries dominated the glass with 20 rebounds.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 29 points, 15 of which came in the first quarter. Former Wizard Nick Young made 5-of-8 3-pointers on his way to 21 points for the Lakers, whose two-game winning streak was snapped.
The Wizards shook off a slow first quarter and continued their hot shooting in the second half, going on a 14-0 run that spanned halftime.
Los Angeles missed its first seven shots of the third quarter before Carlos Boozer finally made a field goal at the 7:27 mark with the shot clock winding down.
Washington's defense dominated the rest of the quarter, and it expanded its lead to 78-69 at the end of three. The Lakers shot just 5-of-21 from the floor in the third, and Bryant could only pick up seven points from the charity stripe.
"Whenever we get off to leads like that, we excel in the open court," said Beal. "Whenever we get easy looks, it's always off our defense."
The Lakers had one last run in them, though, making three of their first five shots of the final quarter to pull within five.
After Bryant missed a forced 3-pointer that would have cut the Wizards lead to 99-96 with 1:23 left, Beal won the battle for a loose ball, and his outlet pass to Wall led to an emphatic fast-break dunk by Gortat to give the Wizards a 101-93 lead.
Bryant turned the ball over on the following possession, and Beal assisted on another big dunk, this time from Rasual Butler.
Los Angeles would not get any closer, and the game was capped by a Wall four-point play with 11.1 seconds remaining.
"With a minute and a half left, we were still right there," said Lakers coach Byron Scott. "We just needed more guys to join the party."
Bryant willed the Lakers to a 33-27 lead after one quarter with his 15 points and shot 6-of-11 from the floor, including two 3-pointers. He netted nine straight points himself to turn a 22-18 deficit into a 27-22 lead.
With 7:10 remaining in the half, the Lakers extended their lead to double digits for the first time. Young hit his third straight long-distance shot to start the game, and finished with nine points at the half.
Washington closed the second quarter with an 18-5 run to take a 54-52 lead. In a span of 30 seconds, Beal hit a fast-break 3-pointer and drove to the net for an impressive layup to end the half. He scored Washington's final seven points before the break.
Game Notes
Wizards forward Paul Pierce left the game with a toe injury and did not play in the fourth quarter ... Washington has beaten Los Angeles in four straight meetings ... The Wizards are 10-0 when allowing 99 points or fewer ... Los Angeles is now 4-1 against Eastern Conference opponents.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/wall-leads-wizards-over-lakers