NBA: Wall, Beal power Wizards past Lakers

LOS ANGELES - John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 45 points as the Washington Wizards gained some revenge and hopefully some needed confidence with a 111-95 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Otto Porter contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds on Thursday for the Wizards, who had lost five of seven starting with a 102-99 road loss against the Lakers on October 25.

Washington, who improved to 6-5 on the season, also stopped a three-game home losing streak during which they allowed an average of 122 points per game.

Brook Lopez and Jordan Crawford each had 15 points as seven Lakers scored in double figures. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma each scored 13, and Julius Randle had 11 for the struggling Lakers.

Lakers rookie guard Lonzo Ball had another poor shooting night while running the offense. Ball, who entered shooting 29 percent from the floor, finished three of 12 overall and one of seven on three-point tries.

Ball wasn't alone as Los Angeles shot 36 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers in its second road game in as many nights.

By comparison the Wizards drained 51.8 percent of their field-goal attempts, scored 50 points in the paint and led by as many as 21 points.

Washington shot 60 percent from the field and scored its most points in any first half this season for a 69-56 halftime lea

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NBA: James pours in 57 as Cavs topple Wizards

WASHINGTON  Four-time league MVP LeBron James poured in 57 points for the second-best scoring performance of his career as the Cleveland Cavaliers busted out of a slump with a 130-122 win over the Washington Wizards.

James also delivered 11 rebounds and seven assists on Friday for the Cavaliers, who shot 56 percent from the field and improved to 4-5 on the season.

The 32-year-old American sank 23 of 34 shots -- including two three-pointers -- and made all nine of his free throw attempts in front of a crowd of 20,100 at the Capital One Arena in the US capital.

"I don't want to give myself a ceiling. I don't want to cap myself," said James, who recorded his first 50-point game since returning to his hometown Cavaliers. "I want to be as complete a basketball player as I can be.

"Even rounding 33 I feel I am in the best shape of my career. I am out here, I might as well keep getting better."

Derrick Rose added 20 points for the Cavaliers, who lost three games during their four-game losing skid by double digits.

Both teams were struggling heading into Friday's game as the Wizards only added to their woes, having now lost four of their last five.

Bradley Beal scored 36 points for Washington. John Wall had 13 points and 15 assists as the Wizards shot 53.6 percent from the field.

James, who is in his 15th NBA season, finished just four points shy of his career-high 61 set in 2014 against the Charlotte Bobcats.

But there is also something about playing the Wizards that seems to bring out the best in James.

In February, James banked home the game-tying three point shot in the closing seconds of regulation and Cleveland went on to beat Washington 140-135 in overtime in a contest that some considered to be the league's 2016-17 regular-season game of the year.

Wall and Beal told reporters earlier on Friday that they believe Cleveland purposefully dropped out of the top seed in the playoffs last season to avoid facing Washington in the early rounds.

James played like someone who took that slight to heart.

On Friday, he scored 24 points and Cleveland shot 65.8 percent from the field in the first half for a 74-66 lead.

- 'On fire' -

"Nothing that we did was going to work," Wizards coach Scott Brooks said. "The guy was on fire. That's what happens certain nights with great players."

Elsewhere, Kyrie Irving finished with 25 points as the Boston Celtics rallied from a double digit deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-94 and extend their winning streak to seven games.

Irving scored 15 of his points in the fourth quarter. Forward Al Horford also rose to the challenge and finished with 20 points for Boston.

Paul George led the Thunder with 25 points, while Russell Westbrook had 19 points, six rebounds and 11 assists.

In Atlanta, James Harden had 29 points and 11 assists before sitting the fourth quarter as the Houston Rockets bombed away early from three-point range to beat the Atlanta Hawks 119-104.

Harden was six of 11 on three-point shots, and the Rockets took 47 of their 89 shots from behind the arc, making 16.

The Rockets had lost seven straight overall to the Hawks and hadn't won in Atlanta since 2012.

Elsewhere, Kristaps Porzingis had 37 points as the New York Knicks clawed their way back to .500 with a 120-107 win over the Phoenix Suns.

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Spurs remain unbeaten on the road

WASHINGTON -- LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points as the San Antonio Spurs kept their undefeated record on the road intact by beating the Washington Wizards 112-100 on Saturday.

San Antonio also played Friday night but the back-to-back NBA games didn't faze them as they improved to 10-0 on the road and won their eighth straight overall.

Asked for what has impressed him most during the winning streak, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said, "The fact that a lot of the new guys have caught on so quickly.

"Kyle Anderson and Jon Simmons haven't played much before. David Lee, Davis Bertans, and Dewayne Dedmon and Pau (Gasol) just all got here, so they've blended in very well pretty quickly. It was surprising."

Tony Parker had 20 points and Kawhi Leonard scored 19 for the Spurs (14-3), who shot 53.3 percent from the field before a crowd of 17,066 at Verizon Center arena.

Simmons scored 15 points and Patty Mills 13 as San Antonio's reserves outscored Washington's 35-18.

The Spurs also outscored Washington 23-10 from the free throw line and led by 19 points in the second half.

Bradley Beal finished with 25 points and John Wall added 21 for the Wizards who have won a season-high two straight. Otto Porter tallied 14 points as Washington dropped to 5-10 on the season.

"It's tough, but we knew that coming in," Beal said of facing the Spurs. "That's not an excuse for us not to compete and us not to go out and try to win a game, but you have to give credit where it's due."

The Wizards beat the Orlando Magic 94-91 on Friday for its first road victory of the season.

Parker scored 11 points and the Spurs shot 50 percent from the field for a 54-44 lead at the intermission.

After Washington closed to 69-62 midway through the third quarter, San Antonio seized command with a 16-7 surge during which Aldridge and Mills each sank a three-pointer and scored five points.

The Wizards looked undisciplined at times, losing Markieff Morris in the third quarter when the starting forward was ejected after arguing with the officials over a foul call. Morris had 12 points in 19 minutes.

Ian Mahinmi, who was acquired in the offseason, made his season debut for the Wizards after missing the first 14 games due to knee surgery. His impact was limited though as he finished with one point in 15 minutes of playing time.

- Westbrook posts triple-double -

In Oklahoma, Russell Westbrook posted his seventh triple-double of the season as he powered the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 106-88 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Westbrook posted 17 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds to earn back-to-back triple-doubles on consecutive nights.

It was also his 44th career triple-double, which ties him with Cleveland's LeBron James.

The Thunder had five players score in double figures. Anthony Morrow came off the Thunder bench and poured in a season-high 21 points. Steven Adams added 16 points and nine rebounds. Victor Oladipo scored 18 as Oklahoma City improved to 10-8.

Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 21 points on eight of 18 shooting. Ish Smith, who once played for the Thunder, posted 14 points and three assists.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Kemba Walker scored 28 points, and Jeremy Lamb had 18 points and 17 rebounds, and the Charlotte Hornets snapped a four-game losing streak with a 107-102 win over the New York Knicks.

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Red-hot Curry helps Warriors run through Wizards

Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 51 points in the first quarter and sank 11 three-pointers as the Golden State Warriors downed the Washington Wizards 134-121 for their eighth straight win on Wednesday.

Golden State (45-4) obliterated Washington early with Curry providing the firepower, including 36 points in the first half on 13-of-14 shot attempts with eight from beyond the arc.

The Warriors led by 17 points in the first quarter and 74-60 at halftime. After the Wizards closed to 81-79 midway through the third quarter, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player helped fend off Washington with a pair of three-pointers.

Fellow All-Star guard John Wall played like one, leading the Wizards (21-26) with a season-high 41 points and 10 assists but Washington has now lost two straight and seven-of-nine.

Curry finished 19-of-28 from the field, including 11-of-16 on three-pointers for his fourth career game with at least 50 points. His 51 points tied the Verizon Center record for most individual points, matching Michael Jordan and Gilbert Arenas.

His 11 three-pointers is the most in the NBA this season.

Forward Draymond Green had 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, setting a Warriors single-season record with his 10th triple-double. Guard Klay Thompson had 24 points.

Wall inspired a fast-break heavy comeback as Washington opened the second half with a 19-7 run but the point guard sat out the final 6:18 of the period after picking up his fourth foul.

Golden State took advantage and entered the fourth quarter leading 103-92.

With Washington still in rally range, Curry nailed his 11th and final three-pointer for a 120-109 lead with 4:22 left. Golden State made 20-of-42 from distance.

Curry made his first six shots, including five three-pointers inside the opening seven minutes before the raucous and sellout crowd.

He finished the opening period with seven three's as the Warriors led 43-28 after the first quarter.

Washington shot 50.5 percent from the field and played better than in several recent lacklustre performances, but could not keep up with the defending league champions.

Guard Bradley Beal had 18 points.

Curry grabbed seven rebounds as Golden State out-rebounded Washington 49-38.

The Warriors won their previous seven games by an average of 21.6 points.

The teams close the season series at Golden State on March 29.

(Editing by John O'Brien)

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Irving helps Cavaliers defeat Wizards

In Kyrie Irving's seventh game since breaking his kneecap in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers' guard broke the hearts of the Washington Wizards.

LeBron James scored 34 points, but Irving dazzled in the fourth quarter with 19 of his 32 points as Cleveland won their fifth straight game with a 121-115 victory over the Wizards.

After surgery in June, Irving returned to Cleveland's lineup on Dec. 20. He has now moved beyond mere progress and into jaw-dropping territory for the surging Cavaliers (24-9).

"There will be days when he's better and days when he's going to have some effect of the many months he was out," Cavaliers coach David Blatt said, "but that sure didn't look like that tonight."


 James helped stake the Cavaliers to an 18-point lead by hitting all four of his three-pointers less than four minutes into the third quarter.

The Wizards (15-18) countered with their own barrage from beyond the arc, eventually tying the game 95-95 with 10:53 remaining.

Irving dominated from there, scoring the game's next 10 points. His third dazzling layup in that stretch gave Cleveland a 105-95 lead with 7:35 remaining.

J.R. Smith added 25 points for the Cavaliers, who evened the season series after losing 97-85 in Cleveland on Dec. 1.

"That was nuts," Smith said of Irving's finish. "To be out months and still be able to come out there and shake and bake like he's doing is remarkable. I don't think there is any question who the real All Star is."

Garrett Temple scored 21 points for the Wizards, who have lost two straight and four of five since winning four in a row. John Wall had 20 points and 12 assists for the Wizards.

Both teams shot over 53 percent from the field. Washington made 14 of 24 three-pointers, but only 17 of 27 from the free-throw line.

In the opening game of a six-game road trip, James grabbed 10 rebounds as the Cavaliers finished with a 44-33 advantage on the glass.

'TOO MUCH KYRIE'
Cleveland led 62-50 at halftime and 73-55 early in the bombs-away third quarter. The Wizards fought back and closed within 92-89 on Temple's third three-pointer of the third quarter. Washington hits eight of 11 three-pointers in the quarter while Cleveland sank seven of 13 before the sellout crowd.

After the Wizards tied the game at 95-95, Irving took control. He sank eight of 11 shot attempts in the quarter.

"Too much Kyrie," Temple said. "He was hitting some tough, tough shots."

The 85 points from the previous meeting represented the fewest by a Wizards opponent this season. This time, Cleveland surpassed that total with 4:25 left in the third quarter.

"It was in the front of our mind," James said of the earlier loss. "We know what they did to us. We just wanted to try to get some give back."

Wall led all scorers with 35 points in Washington's win at Cleveland. The All-Star guard was eventually named Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

There was little award winning about Wall's early performance in the rematch and first meeting of the season against Irving, who missed the opening weeks of the season following knee surgery. Wall shot one of nine from the field in the first half while committing six of his seven turnovers.

"He's one year ahead of me, battling for a few years now," Irving said of Wall. "It's just always a great matchup with him and the Wizards."

Otto Porter, Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley all had 12 points for Washington.

The Wizards reached the Eastern Conference semi-finals in each of the past two seasons. One week into 2016, they are 12th in the East. The next three games are against teams ahead of them in the standings.

"Every stretch (of games) for us is huge right now," Wall said. "We just take it one game at a time. It's an opportunity just to try to get back on the right path." (Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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WATCH: Paul Pierce sinks Hawks at the buzzer

Washington's veteran forward Paul Pierce broke the hearts of the Atlanta Hawks when he sank a step-back jumper to give the Wizards a 103-101 victory in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semi-finals best-of-seven series.

Pierce banked the jumper over three players, fell to the court with his hands raised, and was promptly mobbed by his teammates as the Verizon Center crowd celebrated.

The win gave the Wizards a 2-1 series lead over the top-seeded Hawks.

Asked later if he called bank on the shot, the former Finals MVP merely said: "I called game. Game."

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Messi watches Wizards clash with Pacers

WASHINGTON -- Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi took a break from football on Wednesday, joining Argentinian team-mates at the Washington Wizards' home NBA game against the Indiana Pacers.

Messi posted a photo of the action at the Wizards' Verizon Center arena on his Instagram account, captioned "viendo basquet" -- watching basketball.




Plenty of NBA fans in attendance displayed their soccer savvy, posting pictures of Messi and his team-mates on social media sites.

The Wizards posted a video clip of the Argentina players arriving at the game in their blue track suits.

A photo of Messi was captioned "our special guest for #WizPacers" although it's likely the Argentinians were backing countryman Luis Scola and his Pacers, who edged the Wizards 103-101.


Messi and Argentina are due to take on El Salvador in a friendly in Washington on Saturday, with a friendly against Ecuador to follow in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Tuesday.

Although reports earlier this week suggested a right foot injury could be serious enough to prevent Messi from playing in the friendlies, the Argentina Football Association allayed those fears with a report that tests showed all was well.

Messi has trained with team-mates at Georgetown University this week and will be available for the matches, which are part of Argentina's preparation for the Copa America later this year.

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Lopez carries Nets over Wizards

Nets 102, Wizards 80

Center Brook Lopez overcame a day of trade rumors by scoring 25 of his 26 points in the second half as the Brooklyn Nets snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 102-80 road victory over the Washington Wizards.

- - -

Grizzlies 106, Magic 96

Reserve forward Jeff Green, in his second game for Memphis since being traded from Boston, scored 21 points, including 12 in the decisive fourth quarter, to lead the Grizzlies to a 106-96 road victory over the Orlando Magic.

- - -

76ers 96, Pelicans 81

Guard Michael Carter-Williams scored 22 points and center Nerlens Noel had 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 96-81 victory over the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans, who played without star forward Anthony Davis (sprained toe).

- - -

Bulls 119, Celtics 103

Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol led the Bulls to a 119-103 victory over Boston. The Celtics trailed by only two points entering the final quarter but faded for their 11th loss in 14 games.

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