The Wizards came all the way back from down 17 points to beat the Rockets in DC, 105-103. The win was the second in two nights against a Western Conference team in playoff position after taking down the Nuggets on Friday night. The win over the 31-27 Rockets makes the Wizards 11-4 against teams with winning records since January 7.
The game opened with the Rockets seemingly gunning for the record of most three pointers in a game that they so narrowly missed against Golden State earlier this month. The Rockets were 8/14 from beyond the arc after the first quarter and held a 10 point lead. The second quarter was one of extreme runs. The Wizards opened on a 9-2 run to make it a two point game but the Rockets responded by going on a 14-0 run to push the lead all the way out to 17. The Wizards would manage to close the gap to 11 at the half. The Rockets, who are second in the league taking 28 three pointers per game, were already 13/28 from three at the half. The 13 first half threes were one off the NBA record they set against Golden State.
The Wizards spent most of the second half chipping away at the Rockets once seeming insurmountable lead, similar to the Nuggets comeback against Washington the night before. The Wizards would take their first lead since it was 2-0 on a Wall layup at the 3:14 mark of the third quarter to come all the way back as the Rockets would go cold from three, but the Rockets would end the third up by six. The Wizards would cut the lead early in the fourth and it would be back and forth all the way down the stretch. John Wall put the Wizards ahead 103-101 with a pair of free throws with 1:15 to play. After the teams traded misses, Harden would get the tough layup to tie things up with 21 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, the Wizards would go inside to Okafor who got fouled with five seconds left. He would make the first and miss the second, but Bradley Beal came up with the huge offensive rebound to seal the win. Beal would hit one of two free throws for the final margin of victory, 105-103.
The Wizards shot 51.3% from the field, marking the sixth time the Wizards have shot 50% or better and they are undefeated in such games. The Wizards also had 31 assists, one off of their season high. Bradley Beal led five Wizards in double figures with 21 points on 7/15 shooting. Emeka Okafor had 17 points and 11 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the year and Wall also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. Ariza had 18 points and Webster had 12 as the other Wizards in double figures.
The Rockets were led by James Harden’s 27 points and Chandler Parson’s 24.
The Wizards will next head north of the border to take on the Raptors on Monday night.
