Balanced attack helps Wizards beat Spurs
Markieff Morris scored 15 points on 7-for-7 shooting from the floor to lead six teammates in double-figure scoring as the Washington Wizards rolled to an easy 116-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs 0n Tuesday at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Washington remains in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with eight games to play in the regular season. The Spurs are holding onto the sixth spot in the Western Conference but are in a much more tenuous position as far as the postseason, with four games separating fifth-place New Orleans from the 10th-place Los Angeles Clippers.
The Wizards outscored San Antonio 67-42 in the second and third quarters combined, turning a three-point Spurs' lead after the first quarter into a 22-point Washington advantage heading into the final period.
Otto Porter Jr. added 14 points for the Wizards, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Jodie Meeks scored 13 points, Marcin Gortat, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Ramon Sessions hit for 12 each, and Mike Scott tallied 11 for Washington.
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio's leading scorer for the year and for the game with 13 points, suffered a left knee contusion late in the second quarter and did not return. Bryn Forbes hit for 12 points, Patty Mills added 11, and Pau Gasol scored 10 points for the Spurs, who lost for the second straight game after winning six straight.
Washington led 59-45 at halftime thanks to a 15-7 run over the final four-plus minutes of the second quarter. The Wizards outscored the Spurs 38-21 in the period.
Morris and Porter paced the Wizards with 11 points each over the first two quarters as Beal was held to three points in the first half -- and those points came on a 3-pointer with just 5.1 seconds to play in the half.
Aldridge led the Spurs in the first half with 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting.
The Spurs head back home to host Oklahoma City on Thursday while Washington travel to Detroit for a contest against the Pistons, also on Thursday.
--Field Level Media
