Wizards 103, Timberwolves 96
John Wall was two assists shy of a triple-double and seldom-used Trevor Booker contributed three consecutive dunks down the stretch to help the Washington Wizards snap a seven-game losing streak with a 103-96 victory over Kevin Love and the visiting Minnnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
Love led the Timberwolves (15-49) with 20 points and 21 rebounds for his 50th consecutive double-double – one shy of Moses Malone’s modern mark set back in 1978-79.
In a game that involved 21 lead changes, Washington (16-45) finished the third quarter shooting 1 of 17 to fall behind 72-68 heading into the fourth. Washington hit six of its first eight shots of the fourth to get back into it before Booker took over.
The 6-8 rookie, who averages 4.3 points in just 13.5 minutes per game, took an alley-oop feed from Cartier Martin and slammed it home with 5:24 left to provide Washington an 86-85 lead. Booker then converted a two-handed follow slam, and the next time down the court, he followed a miss with a left-handed jam high above the rim for a five-point lead with 4:03 to play.
Those were the only baskets for Booker, who finished with seven points in 17 minutes. Wall tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Minnesota had the ball with a chance to tie just once the rest of the way. Michael Beasley added 18 points for Minnesota, which dropped to 5-27 on the road.