John Wall and Nick Young guide Washington Wizards to a 105-102 win over Oklahoma City Thunder - NBA Recap
Washington Wizards finally provided their fans with something to cheer about, by squeaking past Oklahoma City Thunder 105-102, at their home Verizon Centre.
John Wall had 25 points on a near perfect 13 for 14 from the charity stripe, 7 boards and 8 assists whereas Nick Young accumulated 24 points including 5 for 10 from outside the arc.
Wall was satisfied with his performance but added that the Wizards have a long way to go to go from here.
"We know we're better than our record," Wall said. "You're still 2-12. You still got a lot to do."
Jordan Crawford had a good outing as well. He finished with 18 points on 9 for 11 from the free throw line while Andray Blatche, who was jeered by the home crowd throughout the game, finished with 12 points and 10 boards.
Wizards were yet again erratic with their shooting but covered up for it through an accurate display at the charity stripe and from the long range.
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with a game high 36 points on 14-for-26 from the floor, 5 boards and 7 assists. However except Kevin Durant, no other player from the starting line-up managed to make any sort of impact which, according to him, played a part in their loss.
"It's tough, especially when we weren't mentally focused to start the game. They stuck around and stuck around and they kind of got a win," Westbrook said.
Durant pounded 33 points on a perfect 9 for 9 from the free throw line, 8 boards and 2 assists. However, he was not too bothered with the loss.
"It's not the end of the world. We lost to a hungrier team than us," Durant said. "It hurts, because we want to win every game, especially me”
Thunder finished the first frame with a four point lead, 22-18 and were very much in control, ahead by 7 points, 31-24, in the first 4 minutes of the second frame. However, in the ensuing passage Wizards changed gears and rattled a 16-9 spurt to eliminate the deficit.
The scores were levelled at 44 all but Durant and Westbrook fuelled a 7-2 run in the dying moments of the first half to ensure, that Thunder entered the second half ahead by 5 points, 51-46.
The lead was boosted to double figures at 59-47 after Westbrook made two free throws in the 4th minute of the 3rd frame. However after that, the Wizards pulled back things significantly and ended the quarter, trailing behind by just 2 points 72-76.
They eliminated the deficit within first 2 minutes of the deciding frame by making it 79 all and then by rattling a decisive 14-9 spurt in the next few minutes turned the game in their favour, making it 93-88. The Wizards then used 12 free throws down the stretch to seal an important win, only their second this season.
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