DPA/Los Angeles


The Washington Wizards went out West and came away with a rare Texas-sized win.
Bradley Beal buried five triples en route to a season-high 33 points Monday, and the Wizards held off the Houston Rockets 104-103 for their fourth straight win.
“I was shooting with confidence and playing with confidence,” Beal said.
The Wizards opened up a four-game road trip with their first victory at Houston in six visits to Toyota Center since December 29, 2008.
“It’s a great win but we want all four,” Beal said. “We have to put this one behind us, stay hungry and play the right way.”
Paul Pierce netted 21 points while John Wall added 13 with 12 assists for Washington (22-8) off to its fastest start since the 1974-75 season en route to the NBA finals appearance.
League top scorer James Harden poured in 33 points but Houston (21-9) lost for the fourth time in the last six outings. Trevor Ariza and Corey Brewer chipped with 15 points apiece.
The contest was delayed for 34 minutes when referees stopped play 48 seconds into game after noticing a crooked Rockets’ rim needed to be replaced.
Washington built an 18 point cushion in the third quarter and carried a 78-67 advantage into the final 12 minutes.
“We had a bad start to the third quarter,” Houston coach Kevin McHale said. “We put ourselves in a big hole.”
The Rockets dug themselves out, however.
Behind eight points by Brewer, the Rockets knotted the contest at 84-apiece on a Harden jumper with 5 minutes seven seconds left.
The Wizards answered with a 9-0 run to regain the lead 93-84 at the 3:51 mark. After the Rockets pulled within 93-91, Pierce buried an uncontested triple to open a 98-91 lead with 1:12 remaining.  
A three-pointer by Patrick Beverly drew the Rockets within 98-94. But Beal knocked down four free throws and Wall added two more in final 30 seconds - offsetting Harden’s nine quick points, including two triples - to earn the rare road win.  
“It’s hard to win on the road in this league. You have to be focused every night no matter who you’re playing,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.
“There are things we can do better and we can learn from them. But it’s a good win to start this road trip.”

Elsewhere
Chicago Bulls 92, Indiana Pacers 90: Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, including the go-ahead triple with 67 seconds left, Spanish star Pau Gasol added 20, and the visiting Bulls (22-9) ran their winning streak to a season-high seven after escaping the Pacers. Chris Copeland netted 13 of his 17 points in the final quarter for Indiana (11-21) which wiped out a 21-point deficit before falling short.
Brooklyn Nets 107, Sacramento Kings 99: Mason Plumlee tossed in 22 points, Joe Johnson and Jarret Jack added 16 apiece, and the Nets (14-16) slipped past the visiting Kings for their fourth win in the last five games. Rudy Gay scored 25 points while DeMarcus Cousins added 24 with 13 rebounds for Sacramento (13-18) losers in 13 of its last 17 decisions.
Orlando Magic 102, Miami Heat 101:  Nikola Vucevic scored 26 points, Victor Oladipo added 22, including the tie-breaking free throw with six seconds left, and the visiting Magic (13-21) snapped a 10-game slide against the Heat. Dwyane Wade topped Miami (14-17) with 25 points but missed a potential game-winning jumper at the buzzer. Danny Granger hit six triples en route to 21 points while Chris Bosh added 20 after missing eight games with a left calf strain.
LA Clippers 101, Utah Jazz 97: Blake Griffin scored 24 points, Chris Paul added 20 and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 19 rebounds, and the Clippers (21-11) beat the visiting Jazz for the 12th consecutive time. Gordon Hayward had 22 points for Utah (10-21) which had won four of its last five.
Milwaukee Bucks 104, Charlotte Hornets 94 (OT): Brandon Knight netted 18 points, including a layup to force overtime, Jon Henson converted the go-ahead three-point play with 3:51 remaining in the extra session, and the visiting Bucks (16-16) outscored the Hornets 21-11 to break a seven-game slide in the series. Kemba Walker scored 28 points for Charlotte (10-22), which stormed from 21 down in the opening half.