Bradley Beal scores 26 as Wizards beat Pelicans 116-106 (Dec 19, 2017)

By AP
Published

WASHINGTON (AP) Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards put away the New Orleans Pelicans with one impressive stretch.

Beal scored 14 of his 26 points in the third quarter, helping the Wizards top the Pelicans 116-106 on Tuesday night.

Mike Scott had a season-high 24 points in 23 minutes and John Wall added 18 points and 10 assists as Washington won for the third time in four games. Marcin Gortat had 10 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.

New Orleans got another big game from Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, but the Pelicans dropped their second straight. Davis scored 37 points, and Cousins finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds.

''They're great players,'' Washington coach Scott Brooks said. ''They're two All-Stars, two future Hall of Famers, but I thought our guys set the tone in the first quarter. It started with defensive stops.''

The Wizards led 36-19 after one and ran their lead out to 25 before the Pelicans closed to 61-55 at halftime. After New Orleans tied it at 61 early in the third quarter, Washington pulled away with a 24-5 run.

''You may be able to do that one time in an NBA game where you're down 20, 25 points to be able to work your way back all the way to a tie,'' Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. ''But you give them separation again and the chances are not very good that you're going to do that.''

Beal added two 3-pointers to make it 91-68 just before the end of the third.

''The other team just came out and they wanted it more,'' Cousins said. ''I feel like we just kind of went through the motions tonight as a team. They just wanted it more, period. No effort, no effort.''

TIP-INS

Pelicans: Davis, who turned his left ankle late in the fourth quarter of Friday night's loss at Denver, injured his right wrist late in the second quarter. X-rays were taken at halftime, and he returned after missing the first four minutes of the third quarter. ... Gentry was assessed a technical foul midway through the second quarter.

Wizards: F Otto Porter sat out for the second straight game with a bruised right hip. ... In the first half, New Orleans shot 24 free throws and Washington just five.

TALKING TRASH

Wall, who played with Cousins at Kentucky, knows his friend likes to trash talk.

''He's probably the worst in the league,'' Wall laughed. ''But that's him. That's how Boogie is. Boogie likes to talk junk.''

Just then, Cousins appeared on the threshold of the Wizards' locker room to remind Wall they had postgame plans and not to speak negatively about him.

GREAT SCOTT

Scott was 11 for 15 from the field. The reserve forward has made 28 of his 39 shots (71.8 percent) in his last three games.

''I have it going right now,'' Scott said.

TIMELY TIME OUT

The Wizards' big third-quarter run came after Brooks called a timeout after New Orleans tied it at 61. He preferred not to share the message he gave his team.

''I don't remember,'' Brooks said. ''I don't know. I do, but I don't know.''

UP NEXT

Pelicans: At Orlando on Friday.

Wizards: At Brooklyn on Friday.

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