Bradley Beal got the start for the Wizards for the second straight game despite a sore shoulder that threatened his ability to play on Wednesday night in Chicago. No. 3 left it all out on the court in Chicago, scoring 23 points on 8-13 from the floor.

Despite a strong showing from Beal, the Wizards (13-27) fell 115-106 to the Bulls (15-27) at the United Center in the first outing of a two-game road trip. Bradley’s team-high 23 points were accompanied by four rebounds and four assists in what he saw as a “tough loss” in a “winnable game,” one in which six Wizards reached double figures.

You wouldn’t know Beal was questionable just a few hours prior to tip. The 2020 All-Star hopeful came out swinging…literally, proving that no injury or pain can hold the Panda down.

Beal registered 11 first-quarter points, showing time after time that he was not afraid to play with aggressiveness, driving to the basket for buckets. He also wasn’t afraid to step back and hit the deep ball either, showing off his range to the crowd in Chicago.

BB’s offensive success made the Washington faithful only want to see the ball in their star’s hands even more.

Well, the fans got exactly what they asked for. In fact, No. 3 scored 11 of Washington’s first 19 points on 4-5 (.800) from the field. In that first shift, Beal did a little bit of everything – driving, mid-range, hitting from deep and getting to three free throw line – and managed to dish out three assists.

The difference in the first half was three-point shooting. Both Washington and Chicago shot over 50.0% in the first two quarters, but only the Wizards were able to consistently convert from deep. As a team, the Wizards were 6-11 (.545) from beyond the arc while the Bulls shot just 4-18 (.222). Washington’s starters combined to shoot 6-7 (.857) from three in the first half, which helped give the Wiz a slight edge on the scoreboard at halftime.

The Wiz closed out the first half in style as Gary Payton hit a layup off the glass at the buzzer thanks to a beautiful bounce pass from Bradley. With the bucket, Washington extended the lead to five – heading into the half up 60-55.

On an unusual note, teams played the second half with red streamers hanging from the overhead scoreboard, which were remnants of a Disney-themed halftime show. One of the streamers fell down during a timeout with 8:53 left in the third quarter, and two workers scurried out to pick it up before play resumed. The streamers must have been a bad omen for Washington as momentum, all of which was on the side of the Red, White & Blue, took a turn in the final two quarters.

In the third quarter, the Bulls thwarted what was a dominant first half for The District as Chicago opened the second half off on a 22-6 run, led by three triples from guard Zach LaVine. LaVine scored nine of his 30 points in the third quarter to help Chicago open up an 11-point lead. The Wizards managed to counter in the final three minutes of the third, led by buckets on consecutive possessions from Isaac Bonga in the final 2:30 of the quarter to cut the lead down to two.

The fourth quarter got off to a ferocious start for the Wiz and Davis Bertans. Bertans started the fourth with a shooting spree. He hit three triples, all in the first 90 seconds of the fourth quarter, to erase a five-point Bulls lead and put the Wizards up 91-87.

However, the Bulls grabbed control with a 10-0 run later in the fourth quarter that Washington was never able to overcome.

“We just have to figure out how to get it done, honestly,” Beal said. “I really don’t know, you just have to get it done.”

Next up, the Wizards take on the Raptors on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET in Toronto before returning to D.C. to face the Pistons next Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at 2:00 p.m ET.