:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/30500269/20140321_mje_aj4_323.0.jpg)
It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win at this point. On the second night of a back-to-back, the Wizards pulled out a 117-107 win over the Lakers thanks mostly to a 28-point, 14-assist effort from John Wall.
But that wasn't before Washington built a 21-point lead in the third quarter, only to see it whittled down to six in the same period. In the end, the Lakers just weren't good enough to finish off the comeback, and the Wiz eked out the 117-110 win.
Marcin Gortat seemingly put to rest any concerns that the back injury he suffered Thursday during pregame warmups would be a long-term issue, scoring 13 points to go with 13 rebounds and five blocks. Bradley Beal scored 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three, and Drew Gooden (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Al Harrington (15 points) kept up the AARP unit's positive contributions.
Things got a bit interesting with a couple minutes left in the game when Gooden wrestled Nick Young to the floor, Young took exception, and mini-scuffle broke out (see video below). Gooden and Jordan Hill were both assessed Flagrant 2 fouls and automatically ejected. Both players also face automatic fines, and potentially a one-game suspension, though that seems very unlikely.
With the win, the Wizards gained a half-game on the idle Bobcats and are now three-games up on Charlotte. The Nets beat the Celtics for their third-straight win Friday and remain a game ahead of Washington for the fifth-seed.
The Wizards wrap up their four-game West Coast swing Sunday against the Nuggets, before coming home to face the Suns and Pacers. So yeah, it'd be nice to get this next one in Denver.
KEY LINKS
Road team recaps: BF StoryStream | Washington Post (gamer, sidebar) | AP | CSN Washington (recap, sidebar) | Wiz of Awes | Wizards.com | Monumental Network | Daily Wizdom
Home team recaps: Silver Screen & Roll | LA Times | LA Daily News | Orange County Register | ESPN LA (recap, sidebar) | Sports Out West | Laker Nation | Lakers Nation | Lake Show Life | Hoops Habit
Postgame interviews: Randy Wittman | John Wall | Bradley Beal | Marcin Gortat | Al Harrington
KEY STATS
5 - Blocks recorded by Marcin Gortat against the Lakers.
7 - Wizards who scored in double figures against the Lakers.
11 - Assists dished out by Steve Nash in 19 minutes. Lawd.
TWEETS OF THE NIGHT
Nice of John Wall to welcome back Nick Young. #Wizards pic.twitter.com/3FKCE2U38f
— Danny (@recordsANDradio) March 22, 2014
The Wizards' uniforms are big-time underrated. Might be top 5 status in the league.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 22, 2014
I feel ripped off. Lakers fans get 50% mediocre pizza just for showing up pic.twitter.com/8WLShAbQ2P
— DavidDunn (@ImDavidDunn) March 22, 2014
John Wall has 20 points and 13 assists. There's still 3 mins left in the third quarter. The Lakers are bad
— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) March 22, 2014
@Truth_About_It I think we all forget we were one of the worst teams last year. For some reason, we expect domination every game. #sowizards
— Sunil Chhabra (@sunilc47) March 22, 2014
VIDEO/GIF OF THE NIGHT
Yikes. (H/T @HoopDistrictDC)
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww.
GAMETHREAD COMMENT OF THE NIGHT
GAMETHREAD ROLLCALL
| # | Commenter | # Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HailSkinz | 76 |
| 2 | elliotlevy2 | 68 |
| 3 | qthaballa | 57 |
| 4 | terpsDC | 49 |
| 5 | BealMVP4ever | 49 |
| 6 | jarem | 45 |
| 7 | dc_chilling | 40 |
| 8 | Hands11 | 38 |
| 9 | LRJ | 37 |
| 10 | richkam14 | 37 |
| 11 | ryanwadams | 32 |
| 12 | Inside Job | 22 |
| 13 | arian1123 | 20 |
| 14 | tw10 | 19 |
| 15 | KurisuDevil | 18 |
| 16 | Baird15 | 18 |
| 17 | Izzy.Bae | 18 |
| 18 | WASwizardsfan671 | 13 |
| 19 | novadada | 12 |
| 20 | Gators2015_BB3 | 10 |
| 21 | benofficial202 | 10 |
| 22 | Yeti60 | 7 |
| 23 | ATrueNigerian | 7 |
| 24 | Big Spoon | 4 |
| 25 | the new Bradfather | 3 |
| 26 | BulletsBaby | 3 |
| 27 | abovelegit | 3 |
| 28 | djnnnou | 2 |
| 29 | gwall24 | 2 |
| 30 | John Wall Stan | 2 |
| 31 | Nubboi | 2 |
| 32 | t0Shihiro | 2 |
| 33 | DavidDunn | 2 |
| 34 | lobster11 | 2 |
| 35 | tarheel723 | 2 |
| 36 | DMV Cock | 2 |
| 37 | gregjohnson1229 | 1 |
| 38 | obeast | 1 |
| 39 | khrabb | 1 |