Wizards 98, Knicks 89
WASHINGTON -- Point guard John Wall continued his scoring surge with 31 points and the Washington Wizards extended the New York Knicks' losing streak to five games with a 98-89 win on Saturday night.
Forward Martell Webster scored 19 points and center Marcin Gortat had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Wizards (5-8), winners of three of four games this week.
Washington took the lead for good during a 19-7 third quarter run and fended off New York's attempted rallies in the fourth. Last season the Wizards did not pick up their fifth win until Jan. 7 after an infamous 4-28 start.
Forward Carmelo Anthony had 23 points and 12 rebounds and guard J.R. Smith scored 15 for the Knicks (3-9), who only scored 37 points in the second half.
Wall continued his torrid shooting stretch by making his first seven field-goal attempts, six in the first quarter, and 10 of 18 overall. In Friday's 96-88 loss at Toronto, Wall scored 37 points on 15-for-21 shooting. The four-year veteran had never scored 30 points in back-to-back games.
Guard Bradley Beal scored 13 of his 18 in the second half for the Wizards, who had dropped their last two games to New York.
Anthony's jumper pulled New York closer at 81-78 early in the fourth quarter. Webster countered with two of his five 3-pointers and forward Jan Vesely provided rare bench points with a fast-break dunk for an 89-80 lead with 6:14 remaining. Wall sank his only 3-pointer later in the quarter.
The Wizards, playing their fourth game in five days, received only six points off the bench. All five starters scored during the key third-quarter spurt, started by Webster's 3-pointer that put Washington in front for good at 56-54. Two free throws from Wall gave Washington a 70-61 lead with 4:37 remaining in the period before the crowd of 18, 089.
Washington outrebounded New York 45-40 with Gortat grabbing seven offensive boards. In the third quarter, he had nine rebounds and made all four of his field-goal attempts.
Early fourth-quarter fouls on Washington put New York in the bonus for the final 10 minutes. The Knicks failed to capitalize, missing 7 of 10 and finishing 6 of 15 overall.
Off since Wednesday's loss to Indiana, the veteran Knicks looked rather spry in the first half and entered halftime with a 52-49 lead. Anthony scored 13 points and forward Amar'e Stoudamire made all five of his field-goal attempts for 10 of 12 points. Both teams shot exactly 50 percent from the field.
NOTES: The Knicks played a third straight game without PG Raymond Felton (lower back/left hip injury). ... Wizards starting SF Trevor Ariza (strained right hamstring) missed his fifth consecutive game while reserve F Al Harrington (sore right knee) sat out for the sixth straight game. ... Wizards SG Bradley Beal sank six 3-pointers in Wednesday's win at the Cleveland Cavaliers. Washington's top scorer and the NBA's leader in minutes played per game is one of four players to make at least six 3-pointers in multiple games this season. The teams will meet three times this season with the next two in New York. ... The Knicks' road swing heads west for three games, starting against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. ... The Wizards are off until Tuesday when they host the Los Angeles Lakers.
