The Wizards fought the Clippers right down to the end, but their comeback effort came up just short and they fell 94-87 in L.A. on Saturday night.
Playing the second game of a back-to-back out west, the Wizards gave a good effort on Saturday night but it was the little things down the stretch that cost them this game. They went 15-27 from the free-throw line and committed 18 turnovers which was the difference in the game. Even with that, they still put themselves in a position to win the game.
Nene had a chance to tie the game with less than two minutes left after finishing a three-point play inside. He was unable to hit the free throw to tie the score and from there it was Chris Paul who took over for the Clippers, sinking a huge shot over John Wall with 32 seconds left to put the Clippers up five. The Wizards ran out of the late game magic they showed in Denver and were unable to complete the comeback.
Rebounding was critical to this loss, as the Wizards were outrebounded 58-43 and allowed the Clippers to attain 22 offensive rebounds. This was another frustrating loss for the Wizards because their defense was good and they held the Clippers to 37% shooting, but it was the little things that cost them.
John Wall attained a season-high 24 points and dished out six assists in the effort. Bradley Beal finished with 13, Nene had 12, while Trevor Ariza ended with 11 playing in his hometown. Emeka Okafor led the Wizards with 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Next, the Wizards travel to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers on Monday night (10:00 pm).
