It wasn’t always pretty, and it certainly wasn’t easy for Bradley Beal as he had to watch the final five minutes of the game from the sidelines, but the Washington Wizards will be heading back to Toronto tied at two games apiece after a gritty performance on their home court in Game 4.
Brad and his backcourt partner, John Wall, were terrific again Sunday night, combining for 58 points in the game. No. 3 accounted for five Washington three-pointers while Wall continued to facilitate, dishing out 14 assists.
Despite battling foul trouble all night long and playing just 32 minutes, BB led the offensive charge for the Wizards, piling up a team-high 31 points. Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan led all scorers in the game with 35 points, but he hoisted 10 more field goal attempts than Beal.
Early on, it appeared the Wizards could have been headed back up to Canada down 3-1 in the series after digging a 14-point hole.
“They brought the game to us initially,” Beal said. “They were more physical. They played really fast, and I think they surprised us a little.”
A 40-point third quarter that featured some scorching shooting from No. 3 turned the game around. The Wizards regained the lead off a Beal triple midway through the third frame, and from there, the game was a battle.
As the game progressed into the fourth quarter, the Raptors pulled back in front, but the Wizards answered.
With 4:58 left to play, Brad committed his sixth foul of the game, which forced him to the sidelines for the remainder of the action with the game knotted at 92. It was the first game of the season in which Beal had fouled out.
The foul occurred after DeRozan snatched a rebound and collided with Beal, who appeared to be stationary, but BB’s leg tripped up DeRozan and drew the whistle.
The Panda was infuriated by the call and couldn’t believe he had fouled out of the game at such a critical juncture.
“I was beyond emotional, beyond mad, frustrated, pretty much any synonym you can add to the list,” Beal said after the game.
BB trusted and believed in his teammates to get the job done and they followed through for him as he cheered them on from the bench. The Wizards finished the game on a 14-4 run after Beal’s sixth foul to claim a 106-98 victory in a pivotal Game 4.
Last 4:37 of the game, the #Wizards finish game on a 14-4 run to tie the series at 2! Pressure back on the one seed #Raptors
— Adam McGinnis (@adammcginnis) April 23, 2018
The series now shifts back to Toronto for an important Game 5 on Wednesday. The game will tip off at 7pm ET on NBATV.
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