During the Thursday night NBA slate, Bradley Beal scored 13 of his 35 points in the final four and a half minutes, leading the Washington Wizards to a 114-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Beal overcame his slow start and a 20-point deficit in the first quarter.
With 1:14 remaining, Washington took a 107-106 lead on Kyle Kuzma’s mid-range fadeaway.
“We’ve just got to keep building these habits that we’re doing right now,” Kuzma said. “I think we’re playing great team ball right now.”
After Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards missed a 3-pointer, Beal made it 110-106 with a 3-pointer in the final 37 seconds. He has now scored at least 30 points in three of his last four performances.
“Probably this is the best game for me this season so far, because of how we showed our heart, we stayed in the game, we kept playing,” Wizards center Kristaps Porzingis said. “Some guys were already like checked out a little bit. We locked back in and we pulled it out of somewhere.”
NBA SCORES & NEWS: Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
Corey Kispert scored 15 points off the bench to offset Kuzma and Porzingis’ off nights, helping the Wizards gain momentum heading into the All-Star break. Having won 10 of their last 14 games, they are currently in the 10th spot.
“We’re still learning each other, but now we feel like we can take off running,” Beal said.
Thanks to Edwards’ 18 points, the Timberwolves led 30-10 at the end of the first quarter. After Kyle Anderson hit three free throws, Beal hit a wide-open 3-pointer late in the game to spark his late surge.
NBA SCORES & NEWS: Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards & Minnesota Timberwolves Updates
The Timberwolves were unable to overcome an uncharacteristic midgame slump. Rudy Gobert totaled 17 points and 19 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for Minnesota to get a needed win, dropping out of the top six in the Western Conference standings at the NBA All-Star break. In the second half, Edwards outrebounded and hustled better than anyone else on the team.
“I feel like it’s the same story,” Gobert said. “We get a lead, and then we just lose the urgency.”
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