Beal, Wizards Outlast Celtics in Double-OT
Even with the Boston Celtics being short-handed on their home floor Wednesday night, it still took the Washington Wizards two overtime periods to pull off a road win. Bradley Beal had 34 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists as the Wizards pulled off a 125-124 win at TD Garden. Beal also had a crucial three-point play with 1:25 to play in the second overtime, where the Wizards outscored the Celtics, 19-18. Washington did trail by as many as 20 points on the night, despite the Celtics playing without six players, including Kyrie Irving. Jayson Tatum missed a three-pointer as time expired to seal the tough home loss for the Celtics. Otto Porter Jr. added a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Markieff Morris chipped in 20 points of his own in the win for Washington. Markieff's brother, Marcus, led the Celtics with 31 points and nine rebounds, while Tatum finished with 19 points. The Celtics dropped their 13th game on their home floor this season, while the Wizards now have 20 victories on the road. They will return home though on Saturday night to host the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics hit the road on Friday night to take on the Orlando Magic.
Warriors Snap Minor Skid With Win Over Lakers
The Golden State Warriors went on their version of a slump the last two games without Steph Curry, but that quickly ended on their home floor on Wednesday night. Kevin Durant had 26 points to lead the Warriors to a 117-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, snapping a two-game losing streak. After being tied at halftime, Golden State outscored Los Angeles, 62-51, in the final 24 minutes, as they finished at 55 percent shooting from the floor. They were once again without Curry, who was celebrating his 30th birthday, as Quinn Cook took his spot and scored 13 points in his place. Zaza Pachulia also started for Draymond Green and had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, along with five assists. Another big contribution came from beyond the arc, as Nick Young had 18 points on six three-pointers, which made up for Durant going just 1-for-7 from three-point range. This was the first game without Klay Thompson for Golden State, as he will miss at least two weeks with a fractured thumb. Julius Randle had 22 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out for the Lakers. They will be back at it on Friday night when they host the Miami Heat. The Warriors are off until Friday as well, as they will play host to the Sacramento Kings.
Texas Southern, Syracuse Seal Final First Four Spots
The last two First Four matchups took place in the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night, beginning with Texas Southern taking the 16-seed in the West Region. They did so with a 64-46 win over North Carolina Central, as they earned their first NCAA Tournament victory in program history. Damontrae Jefferson was the leading contributor with 25 points and eight rebounds, as the Tigers also became the first team with a losing record to win an NCAA Tournament game. They did start the season 0-13, which is also a record for the worst start by an NCAA Tournament team. They will now move on to take on top-seeded Xavier on Friday. Meanwhile, the Syracuse Orange are looking to do big things following a 60-56 win over Arizona State in the First Four on Wednesday. The win makes them the 11-seed in the Midwest Region, as they were led by freshman Oshae Brissett's 23 points and 12 rebounds. The performance was Brissett's 13th double-double of the year, helping the Orange overcome a seven-point deficit in the final seven minutes. The Sun Devils had opened up with 12 wins early on in the season, including victories over tournament top seeds Xavier and Kansas. Their season has been downhill ever since, ending on Wednesday, while the Orange now move on to take on TCU on Friday in Detroit.
Even with the Boston Celtics being short-handed on their home floor Wednesday night, it still took the Washington Wizards two overtime periods to pull off a road win. Bradley Beal had 34 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists as the Wizards pulled off a 125-124 win at TD Garden. Beal also had a crucial three-point play with 1:25 to play in the second overtime, where the Wizards outscored the Celtics, 19-18. Washington did trail by as many as 20 points on the night, despite the Celtics playing without six players, including Kyrie Irving. Jayson Tatum missed a three-pointer as time expired to seal the tough home loss for the Celtics. Otto Porter Jr. added a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Markieff Morris chipped in 20 points of his own in the win for Washington. Markieff's brother, Marcus, led the Celtics with 31 points and nine rebounds, while Tatum finished with 19 points. The Celtics dropped their 13th game on their home floor this season, while the Wizards now have 20 victories on the road. They will return home though on Saturday night to host the Indiana Pacers. The Celtics hit the road on Friday night to take on the Orlando Magic.
Warriors Snap Minor Skid With Win Over Lakers
The Golden State Warriors went on their version of a slump the last two games without Steph Curry, but that quickly ended on their home floor on Wednesday night. Kevin Durant had 26 points to lead the Warriors to a 117-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, snapping a two-game losing streak. After being tied at halftime, Golden State outscored Los Angeles, 62-51, in the final 24 minutes, as they finished at 55 percent shooting from the floor. They were once again without Curry, who was celebrating his 30th birthday, as Quinn Cook took his spot and scored 13 points in his place. Zaza Pachulia also started for Draymond Green and had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, along with five assists. Another big contribution came from beyond the arc, as Nick Young had 18 points on six three-pointers, which made up for Durant going just 1-for-7 from three-point range. This was the first game without Klay Thompson for Golden State, as he will miss at least two weeks with a fractured thumb. Julius Randle had 22 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out for the Lakers. They will be back at it on Friday night when they host the Miami Heat. The Warriors are off until Friday as well, as they will play host to the Sacramento Kings.
Texas Southern, Syracuse Seal Final First Four Spots
The last two First Four matchups took place in the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night, beginning with Texas Southern taking the 16-seed in the West Region. They did so with a 64-46 win over North Carolina Central, as they earned their first NCAA Tournament victory in program history. Damontrae Jefferson was the leading contributor with 25 points and eight rebounds, as the Tigers also became the first team with a losing record to win an NCAA Tournament game. They did start the season 0-13, which is also a record for the worst start by an NCAA Tournament team. They will now move on to take on top-seeded Xavier on Friday. Meanwhile, the Syracuse Orange are looking to do big things following a 60-56 win over Arizona State in the First Four on Wednesday. The win makes them the 11-seed in the Midwest Region, as they were led by freshman Oshae Brissett's 23 points and 12 rebounds. The performance was Brissett's 13th double-double of the year, helping the Orange overcome a seven-point deficit in the final seven minutes. The Sun Devils had opened up with 12 wins early on in the season, including victories over tournament top seeds Xavier and Kansas. Their season has been downhill ever since, ending on Wednesday, while the Orange now move on to take on TCU on Friday in Detroit.
