Suns falter late in loss to Wizards
Dec 4, 2015, 8:10 PM
WASHINGTON — Bradley Beal scored 34 points, Ramon Sessions added 18 and the Washington Wizards rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns 109-106 on Friday night in a turnover-filled game.
Washington improved to 8-9 after losing five of its previous six games.
Eric Bledsoe scored 22 points, and Brandon Knight had 19 for the Suns. They’re 1-3 on a six-game trip.
The teams combined for 46 turnovers.
The Wizards took a 104-103 lead on Otto Porter’s three-point play with 1:42 to play. Beal hit a floater with 47.9 seconds to play for a 106-103 lead, Bledsoe made a layup with 15.9 left, and Beal added two free throws with 11.6 left for a 108-105 advantage.
Knight attempted a 3-pointer with 8.8 left, but Beal fouled him. Knight missed two of the three, with Beal also missing a free throw after Phoenix was called for a technical foul.
Garrett Temple made one of two free throws for Washington with 6.3 seconds to play, and Bledsoe missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
Phoenix, which lost an 18-point lead in a loss at Detroit on Wednesday night, led by 10 early in the fourth quarter.
GORTAT GONE
Wizards center Marcin Gortat returned to Poland to deal with a family emergency. The team says he’ll miss at least two games. Ryan Hollins, signed by Washington on Monday, started at center and scored two points in 14 minutes. “He’s been in the league. He’s been around. I have great confidence he’s going to play with energy,” coach Randy Wittman said.
TIP-INS
Suns: Center Tyson Chandler missed his fourth straight game because of a strained right hamstring. Coach Jeff Hornacek said that he hoped Chandler would return within the next few games. Markieff Morris returned after missing the Detroit game with a bruised left knee.
Wizards: Kris Humphries (left ankle), Nene (left calf) and Drew Gooden (right calf) were out.
UP NEXT
The Suns visit Memphis on Sunday.
