Wizards 117 - 107 Lakers
Final
  for this game

Wizards down struggling Lakers

Mar 22, 2014 - 5:40 AM Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - John Wall led seven Washington scorers in double figures with 28 points and added 14 assists, as the Washington Wizards downed the Los Angeles Lakers, 117-107, on Friday at Staples Center.

Bradley Beal scored 18, Marcin Gortat tallied 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Drew Gooden gave 11 points and 11 boards for the Wizards, who snapped a two- game slide.

Al Harrington registered 15 points, Trevor Ariza added 12 points and Trevor Booker recorded 10 points in the triumph.

"A win is a win," Ariza remarked. "It's tough to win on the road. We slowed it down and played our pace tonight."

Nick Young returned from an 11-game absence and matched Jodie Meeks with a team-high 21 points, while Pau Gasol supplied 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who also saw star point guard Steve Nash return to the lineup.

Nash, who had been sidelined since Feb. 11, finished with five points and 11 assists in the setback, LA's fourth in a row and seventh in its last eight games.

"Steve played well," Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni said of Nash returning to the lineup. "You can see the energy was up with the team. Tonight was a good outing for him."

The Wizards shot a red-hot 14-of-23 from the floor, including 5-of-7 from 3- point range, in the first quarter to build a 33-21 lead after 12 minutes.

Washington held the Lakers at arm's length in the second stanza before taking a 58-47 lead into halftime.

Los Angeles trailed by double-digits throughout the third until Meeks scored six straight points to spark an 8-2 surge that got the Lakers within 88-81 heading into the final frame.

However, Washington opened the fourth on a 9-3 swing to once again create a double-digit spread and the Lakers failed to threaten the rest of the way, never getting closer than seven points over the remainder of the contest.

Game Notes

Washington won both meetings with the Lakers to sweep the season series ... The Wizards improved to 19-17 on the road, while the Lakers dropped to 11-22 at home this season ... Nash was out with a back issue and an illness, while Young was dealing with a knee injury ... Gooden and LA's Jordan Hill were ejected late in the fourth following a scrum. Hill finished with nine points and 14 rebounds.






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