Wizards 123, Rockets 122
HOUSTON -- Guard John Wall paired 19 points with 13 assists and the Washington Wizards snapped a four-game losing skid with a 123-122 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at Toyota Center.
Rockets guard James Harden tallied 40 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists but missed a driving layup in the final seconds. Houston forward Josh Smith corralled the offensive rebound but was errant on his shot.
Wall nailed a 3-pointer with 2:28 left for the Wizards (21-24) before forward Jared Dudley (16 points) added two free throws and a decisive layup on an inbounds play with 37 seconds remaining. Eight Wizards scored in double figures, including reserve guards Ramon Sessions (17 points), Gary Neal (12) and Bradley Beal (11).
Washington shot 52.3 percent (45 of 86) from the floor.
Houston (25-25) dropped its third consecutive game despite making 17 of 35 3-pointers. Forward Trevor Ariza added 17 points and seven rebounds while guard Patrick Beverley had 15 points and five assists.
Harden found another gear after Rockets center Dwight Howard earned his second technical and an ejection for a second consecutive game with 8:08 left following a skirmish with Wizards forward Nene, who was also ejected. Howard departed with 20 points and seven rebounds and Houston trailing 102-98 before Harden sank a free throw.
Harden scored the ensuing five points for Houston before adding a 3 that gave the Rockets a 113-107 lead, but Washington didn't relent.
As evidence of the Rockets' defensive struggles on the perimeter, Sessions exploded for 10 points inside the final 2:10 of the third quarter. Sessions drilled at 3-pointer to slice a six-point deficit in half and that got him and the Wizards rolling. Washington closed the period on a 12-4 run to seize the lead entering the fourth. The teams exchanged the lead 12 times and were tied 14 more with neither leading by more than six.
Howard was the linchpin early, tallying 13 points and three rebounds in the first quarter. But Houston needed a late surge of 3-pointers to push ahead, and the Wizards responded to a 37-31 deficit with a 13-5 push that ended with guard Bradley Beal sinking a technical free throw with 6:16 left in the half. The pendulum kept swinging from there, with the Wizards leading by as many as four in the quarter before Harden closed the half with a 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left for a 62-59 advantage.
NOTES: Wizards coach Randy Wittman coached on Saturday night after learning that his older brother Rick passed away unexpectedly overnight in Indianapolis. ... With the Rockets playing their fifth game in seven nights, Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff was mindful of how he distributed minutes entering Saturday night. In close games against the Mavericks, Pelicans and Thunder earlier this week, F Trevor Ariza and G James Harden averaged 40 and 38.3 minutes, respectively. ... Rockets F Donatas Motiejunas accepted an assignment to Rio Grande Valley of the D-League in search of consistent minutes as he returns from a flare-up of the back injury that cost him the first 20 games this season. Motiejunas last played on Dec. 31 and struggled finding his rhythm when he returned to action on Dec. 5.