Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards reacts against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half at Capital One Arena on March 04, 2021 in Washington, DC. Patrick Smith/Getty Images/AFP
Bradley Beal had 33 points and seven rebounds, and the Washington Wizards rallied to beat the visiting and short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 119-117 on Thursday.
Russell Westbrook finished with 27 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and four steals for the Wizards, who trailed by as many as 16 in the first half. Moritz Wagner scored 12 points with three steals and Davis Bertans and Raul Neto chipped in 11 points apiece.
💥 @russwest44 powers the @WashWizards past LAC!
27 PTS | 9 REB | 11 AST | 4 STL pic.twitter.com/9Q84I4sG5d
— NBA (@NBA) March 5, 2021
Kawhi Leonard, who returned after missing Tuesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics with back spasms, led seven Clippers scoring in double figures with 22 points. Patrick Beverley had 17 points, Lou Williams contributed 16 and Terance Mann and Luke Kennard had 14 apiece. Ivica Zubac collected 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Reggie Jackson scored 12 points for the Clippers, who lost three straight for the first time this season.
Clippers All-Star forward Paul George was a late scratch with dizziness. The Clippers also played without Marcus Morris Sr. (concussion).
Beal’s two free throws with 11.7 seconds put the Wizards up 118-115.
.@RealDealBeal23 is so proud to be able to share the floor with fellow St. Louis native @jaytatum0 at #NBAAllStar ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HnTURFAoUz
— ESPN (@espn) March 5, 2021
Zubac hit two foul shots with 8.5 seconds remaining to close the gap to one before Rui Hachimura missed one of two free throws with seven seconds left. But Beal grabbed the offensive rebound to seal the win for Washington, which ended a two-game slide.
Washington wiped out a seven-point, halftime deficit with a 19-7 surge to open the third quarter after Westbrook banked in a jumper with 5:22 left for a 73-68 edge.
The two teams were tied at 87 heading into the fourth quarter.
After Beal converted a jumper to pull the Wizards within 44-41 with 5:15 remaining in the second, Los Angeles went on a 17-4 run for a 61-45 lead after a 3-pointer by Kennard with 1:28 left in the quarter.
However, Washington scored the final nine points of the second to slice the gap to 61-54 at the break.