DeMar DeRozan, Spurs end Wizards’ 8-game winning streak
FILE — DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrates after hitting the game-winning shot against the Dallas Mavericks in the final second of the game at American Airlines Center on April 11, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images/AFP
DeMar DeRozan scored 37 points and Dejounte Murray added 25 points and a career-high 17 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the host Washington Wizards 146-143 in overtime in a wild game on Monday.
The loss snapped Washington’s eight-game winning streak, their longest since December 2001.
Article continues after this advertisementThe game went back and forth over the last five minutes or regulation and went to overtime on a layup by Washington’s Bradley Beal with 15.8 seconds left that tied things at 133.
DeRozan & Beal DUEL in DC… SAS comes out on top in OT!@DeMar_DeRozan: 37 PTS, 10 AST@RealDealBeal23: 45 PTS pic.twitter.com/EZQHkLBRuN
— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2021
DeRozan had a chance to win it for the Spurs, but his 18-foot turnaround fadeaway shot at the buzzer went in and out.
Article continues after this advertisementBeal’s putback layup with 1:24 remaining in overtime put the Wizards up at 143-142, but the Spurs’ Keldon Johnson answered with a layup with 1:09 to play.
San Antonio’s Patty Mills canned a pair of free throws with 5.3 seconds left to push the advantage to three points.
Washington called a time out and set up shot for Beal to tie, but he missed a contested 3-pointer.
Johnson added 21 points for the Spurs (31-29), who’ve won three straight. Rudy Gay hit for 17 points, Mills had 11, and Jakob Poeltl and Drew Eubanks scored 10 each for San Antonio. DeRozan also had 10 assists.
Beal finished with 45 points for Washington (27-34), his 32nd game this with at least 30 points. Russell Westbrook added 22 points, 14 assists and 13 rebounds to record his 29th triple-double of the year, far and away the most in the league.
Alex Len finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, with Anthony Gill, Davis Bertans and Rui Hachimura scoring 13 points apiece for the Wizards.
The Spurs trailed by as many as four points in the opening minutes before rallying and assuming a 38-34 lead after the first quarter. San Antonio stretched its lead to as many as seven points on two occasions in the second quarter before settling for a 65-62 lead at the break.
DeRozan and Murray scored 14 points each to pace the Spurs in the first half. Beal’s 19 points led all scorers, with Gill contributing 13 points for the Wizards.
