• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Wizards conclude western jaunt at Denver

Mar 23, 2014 - 2:49 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Wizards hope to wrap up their western road trip on a winning note when they visit the Denver Nuggets Sunday.

The Wizards lost to Sacramento and Portland to start the sojourn and rebounded with Friday's 117-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. John Wall had 28 points and 14 assists to lead the Wizards, while Marcin Gortat added 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Bradley Beal scored 18 points in the win, Washington's third in the last seven tries. Beal is averaging 19.0 points in his last nine games.

"A win is a win," said Wizards forward Trevor Ariza, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. "It's tough to win on the road. We slowed it down and played our pace tonight."

Washington has a 19-17 away mark this season and will start a three-game homestand Wednesday versus Phoenix, Indiana and Atlanta.

The Wizards are sixth in the Eastern Conference -- one game behind Brooklyn.

Denver is 10 games off a playoff spot and it's unlikely the Nuggets will make a push toward the postseason.

The Nuggets had won two in a row and four of five games until dropping a 122-106 decision at Dallas on Friday. Ty Lawson had 17 points and nine assists, but also committed seven of Denver's 16 turnovers. J.J. Hickson scored 18 to pace the Nuggets.

"I thought we had a lot of shots that we missed," Nuggets guard Darrell Arthur said. "I have to give credit to their defense. They stepped their defense up today and made us play."

Denver allowed Dallas to shoot 54 percent from the field and was outrebounded by a 48-35 difference. The Nuggets have won four in a row at home and are 18-16 in the Mile High City. They have a tough road ahead with visits to Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

The Nuggets defeated Washington 75-74 on Dec. 9 in D.C. and have won five of the last seven games in this series. The Wizards have lost eight of 10 trips to Colorado.