The beat goes on in the nation’s capital.
The Washington Wizards won their fifth straight game on Monday night with a 119-107 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder (20-38). The five-game winning streak matches a season-high for the Wizards (24-33).
Bradley Beal led the way once again, with a 30-point night, shooting an efficient 12-of-21 from the field to go along with three steals. It’s no coincidence that the win streak correlates to BB’s own hot streak of five consecutive 30-point games. Brad is just one 30-point game away from matching a six-game 30+ point scoring streak, which he recorded in January.
After the game, No. 3 noted how the team as a whole has taken a big step forward in its development during this hot streak.
“It’s a great feeling of knowing we’re figuring it out,” Brad said. “Guys are growing and guys are starting to really play top-level basketball.”
One particular player who really stepped up Monday was Davis Bertans, who broke down OKC’s defense from beyond the arc, hitting six of his 12 3-point attempts for 21 points. His biggest highlight of the night was a buzzer-beating three from the left wing to send the Wizards into halftime up by six.
Like in their game against the Pistons on Saturday, the Wiz had control of the lead the entire game, although the Thunder certainly made things interesting in the fourth quarter.
OKC was able to cut a double-digit deficit down to just two with nine minutes left in the game with a 15-4 run. Washington weathered the storm and, after a timeout by head coach Scott Brooks, the Wizards responded to the run with two quick buckets from Robin Lopez. Brad pushed the Wizards to finish strong, scoring seven points in the last nine minutes, which elevated the lead to 12 points.
The highlight of the fourth came following a Russell Westbrook steal. Russ led a 3-on-1 fastbreak, which resulted in an emphatic two-hand slam by Brad to push the lead to eight.
With the win, Washington is now tied with the Chicago Bulls for the final spot in the NBA’s postseason play-in tournament. Washington’s next game comes on Wednesday, April 21 against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, a rematch of their epic battle on April 9 that ended with Brad scoring a game-winning four-point play.
The Wizards will be getting a big boost for the rematch, with Capital One Arena set to host fans for the first time this season. The game will air on NBC Sports Washington at 7:00 p.m.
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