Beal scores 34, Wizards beat Suns
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bradley Beal scored 34 points and the Washington Wizards snapped their three-game losing streak and won at home for the first time this season, beating the Phoenix Suns 128-107 on Monday night.
The Wizards (3-8), who had lost five straight at home, played without guard Russell Westbrook. He will miss at least a week with a left quadriceps injury.
Devin Booker lead Phoenix (7-4) with 33 points. Chris Paul had 14 points and 11 assists. Mikal Bridges also had 14.
“We didn’t play our basketball,” Booker said. “We played the brand of basketball that they play, and it didn’t work out for us.”
Beal, the NBA’s leading scorer, had eight rebounds and nine assists. He missed Saturday’s game with Miami because he was in the NBA’s health and safety protocol.
“I was a little beat up,” Beal said.
In his previous two games, Beal scored 101 points, tying the team record with 60 points on Wednesday at Philadelphia and hitting for 41 at Boston on Saturday.
Washington never trailed and was ahead by 32 with 4:16 to play in the second quarter.
They held the Suns to just 14.8% (4 for 27) from 3-point range.
“I think we did a good job of defending,” Beal said. “Tonight was the first time we guarded the right way.”
The Wizards played their first game without center Thomas Bryant, who suffered a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Bryant injured the knee in the first two minutes of Saturday’s game and is likely to miss the rest of the season.
Robin Lopez started in Bryant’s place and had 11 points and 11 rebounds. He’s having a great time playing with Beal.
“Watching him handle the ball, watching him do his work, it’s something incredible,” Lopez said. “You see something different. You see something special so often.”
Davis Bertans had 18 points for Washington, all on 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
Suns: F/C Jalen Smith missed his third straight game for health and safety protocol reasons. … G Cameron Payne was out for the second time with a strained right ankle.
Wizards: Coach Scott Brooks said Westbrook originally hurt the quadriceps more than a month ago. “He got hit pretty bad in his quad in training camp,” Brooks said. “It bothered him. He pushed through it.” Westbrook aggravated the injury Wednesday in Philadelphia, and Brooks said he also dislocated a finger, and the rest will help both injuries.
HI MOM!
Phoenix coach Monty Williams saw his mother on Sunday for the first time since Thanksgiving 2019, but it was a socially distanced visit. Williams, who’s from the Washington D.C. area, had his mother drive to the parking lot of the team’s hotel, and using a selfie stick, took a photo.
“I was able to talk to her from a distance and that’s all you can do, man,” Williams said. “I wanted to abide by the rules, but I also wanted to see my mother’s face. That was a good thing for me.”
REPLACING BRYANT
Brooks said that losing Bryant was difficult to digest.
“It was a punch in the gut,” Brooks said. “He’s pretty bummed out, for obvious reasons.”
Without Bryant, Brooks said that Lopez and Moritz Wagner would get additional minutes.
“We’ve got options,” Brooks said. “Moe is going to get opportunities. If everything stayed the same, his minutes were going to be limited. Now, he has a golden opportunity.”
UP NEXT
Suns: Host the Hawks on Wednesday
Wizards: Host the Jazz on Wednesday.
