Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bradley Beal scored 20 points each to help the Washington Wizards hold on for a 101-99 win over the host Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
The Thunder had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s running 3-point attempt from just outside the arc clanged off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded to give the Wizards just their second victory in six games.
With less than 10 seconds left, Caldwell-Pope missed a 3-point try that would’ve put the game away.
Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the rebound and started streaking upcourt as Thunder coach Mark Daigneault signaled for a timeout.
Daigneault’s timeout wasn’t granted until just 2.8 seconds remained, and Gilgeous-Alexander was out of the lane. So instead of getting the ball in the frontcourt, Oklahoma City had three-fourths of the court to navigate.
Oklahoma City has lost a season-high five in a row.
Caldwell-Pope was 8 of 13 from the floor, while Daniel Gafford had a career-high eight blocks for the Wizards.
Washington grabbed control in the third quarter, allowing the Thunder just 14 points.
Oklahoma City cut into what was a 10-point lead quickly in the fourth, tying it midway through the quarter before Caldwell-Pope helped the Wizards regain control.
He had a strip block on Gilgeous-Alexander, then took the feed from Kyle Kuzma to hit a 3-pointer on the other end to break the tie.
Caldwell-Pope drained another 3-pointer less than a minute later to give the Wizards a small bit of breathing room.
Oklahoma City didn’t go away, cutting the lead to one possession several times late, but it wasn’t until Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the rebound in the closing seconds that the Thunder had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Luguentz Dort led the Thunder with 21 points. Gilgeous-Alexander, returning to the lineup after missing two consecutive games with a sprained right ankle, had 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Kuzma had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Wizards while Montrezl Harrell scored 14 off the bench.
Oklahoma City’s Kenrich Williams, who scored all 11 of his points in the second quarter, left the game midway through the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury.
–Field Level Media
