Bradley Beal scores 37 as Wizards sink Pistons
FILE – Bradley Beal #3 high fives Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards after Westbrook missed a dunk in the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Capital One Arena on March 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Rob Carr / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Bradley Beal, the NBA’s leading scorer, pumped in 37 points and the Washington Wizards extended their winning streak to four games by pounding the visiting Detroit Pistons, 121-100, on Saturday.
37 PTS for Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) in the @WashWizards win! #DCAboveAll pic.twitter.com/jlebJFHDYh
— NBA (@NBA) April 18, 2021
Ish Smith had 16 points and five assists off the bench, while Russell Westbrook supplied yet another triple-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for the Wizards, who have won six of their last seven games.
Robin Lopez added 15 points and five rebounds as Washington won the season series 2-1.
A pair of the Wizards’ starters had their night cut short by injuries. Alex Len departed in the first half with right ankle soreness, while Rui Hachimura exited in the third quarter with a left knee strain.
Isaiah Stewart scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Pistons. Frank Jackson also scored 19 points and Josh Jackson contributed 17. Jerami Grant added 14 points but shot 4-for-14 from the field.
Washington, which never trailed, shot 53.2 percent from the field and outscored Detroit 74-46 in the paint. Both teams were playing the second game of a back-to-back.
Beal had 19 halftime points as the Wizards established a 61-55 lead. Westbrook accumulated seven points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists prior to the break as Washington shot 50 percent from the field.
Frank Jackson’s 14 points led Detroit, which was outscored 44-28 in the paint.
A 10-1 Wizards run early in the third pushed their lead to 12, 73-61. Beal began the spurt with a stepback 3-pointer and capped it with another long shot.
He drained another with 4:32 left in the quarter to make it 86-69. Detroit went on a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to 10 points. Washington was up 93-80 when the fourth began.
The Wizards put the game away with an 11-2 run early in the quarter. Lopez was the catalyst, as he fired in two hook shots and dished out a pair of assists. The second of those sweeping hooks make the score 104-84 with 6:42 remaining.
