Wall leads Wizards to 16th straight home win
WASHINGTON -- John Wall scored 16 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and 11 assists as the Washington Wizards ran their home winning streak to 16 games with a 116-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night.
Bradley Beal had 23 points and five 3-pointers as for the Wizards (29-20), whose last home loss was Dec. 6 to Orlando.
Since Dec. 1, Washington is an Eastern Conference-best 23-9 including 13 wins in its last 15 games and six straight.
Marcin Gortat had 21 points and 14 rebounds as Washington scored 100 points for the 16th straight game.
Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points and Luol Deng had 17 for the Lakers. Los Angeles has lost four of five and 11 of 16. D'Angelo Russell finished with 17 points and 11 assists.
The Wizards led by as many as 19 points and 90-79 entering the fourth quarter, but the Lakers started the final period with a 12-1 run, tying the score 91-91 on a layup by Lou Williams with 9:09 remaining
Wall, recently selected for his fourth straight All-Star team, scored Washington's next eight points as the Wizards went up 99-93 with 7:43 left.
After Los Angeles closed within three points on a layup by Clarkson with 1:49 remaining, Wall stuck a pair of mid-range jumpers for a 112-106 lead with 38.1 seconds left.
Los Angeles opened its five-game road trip by turning the ball over 20 times, though only five in the second half. Washington turned those turnovers into 24 points.
Markieff Morris had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Washington.
Tarik Black had 13 points and 11 rebounds in his third straight start in place of Julius Randle, who played six minutes while recovering from pneumonia.
Washington's home winning streak is the second longest in franchise history. The 1974-75 Washington Bullets won 22 in a row.
The Wizards took control by outscoring the Lakers 27-15 in the second quarter for a 58-44 lead. Beal, who scored 28 in Washington's 117-101 rout over the New York Knicks Tuesday, made his first five 3-pointers and scored 19 in the first half.
NOTES: Wizards C Ian Mahinmi participated in shoot-around Thursday for the first time since having platelet-rich plasma on both knees shortly before Christmas. Coach Scott Brooks said the big man could join full practice later in the week. ... Los Angeles won in Washington last season 108-104 behind 31 points from Kobe Bryant. ... The two sides close the season series Mar. 28 in Los Angeles during a five-game road trip for the Wizards. ... The Lakers visit the Celtics Friday in the first meeting against their longtime rival Boston this season. ...Washington hosts New Orleans on Saturday after defeating the Pelicans 107-94 earlier in the week. G John Wall had 18 points and 19 assists in Sunday's road victory.