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Wall, Wizards shock Knicks

Feb 7, 2013 - 5:29 AM Washington, DC (Sports Network) - John Wall led six Washington players in double figures with 21 points, as the Wizards earned a rare victory over the New York Knicks with a 106-96 decision on Wednesday at Verizon Center.

Wall added nine assists and five rebounds, while Trevor Ariza knocked down five 3-pointers en route to a season-high 20 points off the bench for the Wizards, who had lost their last 10 meetings with the Knicks.

"We're just competing," Wall said of beating another top team. "We're competing against every team we play against, no matter who it is. We know those types of teams are capable of knocking you out pretty early, but we just keep fighting."

Martell Webster added 19 points, Nene donated 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Emeka Okafor and Chris Singleton scored 12 and 10 points, respectively, in Washington's second consecutive victory.

Carmelo Anthony poured in a game-high 31 points to go with nine rebounds, while Amare Stoudemire netted 19 points off the bench for the Knicks, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.

"We were just there thinking we were going to show up and come out of here with a win, and it just didn't happen," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "It was awful across the boards, starting at the top with me. We've got to be better."

Washington trailed, 73-70, after three frames before Ariza opened the fourth with a four-point play to take the lead and spark a 15-4 surge that Singleton capped with a 3-pointer to provide the Wizards with an 85-77 edge.

New York was able to trim the margin to five on four different occasions over the final six minutes, but the Knicks failed to register a field goal over the final three minutes of the contest, allowing the Wizards to hang on for the victory.

Early on, Washington knocked down its first seven shots of the game and finished the first half a scorching 52.6 percent (20-for-38) from the field to take a 51-48 advantage after 24 minutes.

Tyson Chandler opened the second half with a layup to bring New York within one, but Washington answered with a 10-2 spurt to build a 61-52 cushion just under 5 1/2 minutes into the third.

A stepback jumper from J.R. Smith at the other end gave the Knicks their first field goal in over five minutes and sparked a 21-7 run that Anthony capped with a fastbreak layup to provide the Knicks with a 73-68 lead with 1:09 remaining in the quarter.

Wall's tip-in with under five seconds left brought the Wizards within 73-70 heading into the fourth.

Game Notes

Chandler, who had recorded 20-plus rebounds in each of New York's last three games, finished with eight points and 13 boards ... Washington's last win over the Knicks came on Jan. 30, 2010 in Washington by the same score ... Washington shot 53.2 percent (42-for-79) from the field, while New York shot 40.5 percent (34-for-84) from the floor ... Washington guard Bradley Beal missed his fifth straight game with a sprained right wrist.