Wizards 100, Bucks 92 (OT)
MILWAUKEE -- Center Marcin Gortat scored 25 points, and the Washington Wizards held off the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime for a 100-92 victory Wednesday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Gortat made 11 of 12 shots and was one of four Wizards to score in double figures. Guard John Wall scored 13 of his 19 in the third quarter, and forward Martell Webster finished with 18 points.
Forward Trevor Ariza added 14 points, and his 3-pointer late in overtime gave Washington a six-point lead.
Guard O.J. Mayo came up big down the stretch for Milwaukee, tying the game at 78-78 on a jumper with 6:20 to play in regulation, then giving the Bucks an 84-81 lead with a layup at the 4:11 mark.
The Bucks went cold after that, missing their next eight shots. Washington tied the score at 84 when Webster hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 57 seconds to play. Webster drew contact from Mayo on the play but failed to make the free throw that would have given the Wizards the lead.
Washington quickly went ahead when Ariza intercepted a bad pass by Mayo and ran down the court for an easy layup with 39 seconds to go. Ariza made it a three-point game by sinking the second of two free throws with 12 seconds left, but Mayo forced overtime with a 25-foot 3-pointer with six seconds remaining.
The Bucks went cold in the extra session, going 2-for-8 from the field with two turnovers, and they suffered their 10th consecutive loss.
Coming off back-to-back blowouts in which they lost by a combined 42 points, the Bucks shot 44 percent from the field and went 10-for-24 on 3-point attempts, but they committed 24 turnovers.
Washington earned its third win a row despite its own turnover problems, coughing it up 27 times, leading to 29 Bucks points. The Wizards shot 50 percent from the field.
Both teams shot nearly 60 percent in the first half but struggled to protect the ball. Milwaukee connected at a 55.6 percent clip but turned the ball over 11 times, leading to eight points for the Wizards, who led 49-48 at intermission.
NOTES: Bucks coach Larry Drew said his team is looking for leadership on the court and in the locker room and held a 30-minute team meeting before practice on Tuesday. ... Washington G John Wall averaged 33 points, 6 assists and 5.3 rebounds over his previous three games, shooting 61.4 percent from the field during that stretch. ... Milwaukee debuted its new floor Wednesday. The playing surface had to be removed and resurfaced after players slipped during the Bucks' final exhibition contest, a game which was canceled midway through the first period. ... The Wizards' road trip continues Friday against the Pacers in Indiana, so F Al Harrington will host Thanksgiving dinner for his teammates Thursday at his mother's Indianapolis-area home.
