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Warriors Unable To Hold Off Wizards

OAKLAND (CBS / AP) -- Bradley Beal scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half, and John Wall had 15 points and eight rebounds to lead the Washington Wizards past the Golden State Warriors 88-85 on Tuesday night.

Washington's terrific tandem outplayed and outhustled Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson when it mattered most in a matchup of two of the NBA's best young backcourts.

Beal, who was 1-of-7 shooting in the first half, finished 8 of 19 from the floor to go with seven rebounds and four assists. Wall hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining, and the Wizards forced the Warriors into several difficult shots in the closing moments.

Stephen Curry scored 23 points before missing a contested left-handed 3-pointer as time expired, and Thompson had 13 points and six rebounds for the streaky Warriors.

Both teams shot under 38 percent and were often careless with the ball. The Warriors committed 19 turnovers, while Washington had 18.

In the end, the Wizards were a little crisper.

Beal shook off his slow start to make three consecutive 3-pointers at the beginning of the fourth quarter to give Washington a 75-68 lead. The Warrriors came back quickly, with Thompson connecting from beyond the arc to cap a spurt that put the Warriors up 79-77.

After Washington went ahead by five, Curry hit a 3-pointer that brought most of the announced sellout crowd of 19,596 roaring to its feet. Golden State stopped the Wizards after a timeout, and then grabbed two offensive rebounds before Thompson found David Lee for a layup that tied the score at 85 with 1:47 to play.

Wall came back with a 3-pointer off a rebound, and then Andre Iguodala air-balled a 3 for the Warriors on the other end. Washington missed a major chance when center Marcin Gortat, who also lost two rebounds in the final minutes, missed a wide-open layup off a rebound.

It didn't matter.

Curry missed another shot from long range, and the Wizards grabbed the rebound -- but missed another chance to put the game out of reach. The Warriors got one more chance after stopping Washington and calling timeout with 6.1 seconds left.

The Warriors wasted the final possession, with Curry picking up his dribble and forcing a left-handed leaner around Trevor Ariza that sealed Washington's win.

Curry shot 8 of 23 from the floor, and Thompson finished 5 for 17.

The game got off to a sloppy start -- and pretty much stayed that way -- as the Wizards (eight) and Warriors (six) committed 14 turnovers combined in the opening period.

Washington went on a 20-2 run that began late in the second quarter and stretched into the third quarter, with Beal hitting four shots -- including a 3-pointer -- after the break to put the Wizards up 59-51.

The Warriors held Washington scoreless for the next 5:03 to retake the lead. Then Martell Webster hit two free throws and a 3-pointer that sent the Wizards to the fourth quarter ahead 66-65.

NOTES: The Warriors had won six straight over the Wizards, including the only other matchup this season, a 112-96 victory at Washington on Jan. 5. ... The Wizards recalled G Glen Rice from the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League. Rice, who was not in the active lineup, is averaging 2.9 points and 10 minutes in 11 games with the Wizards. ... There was a moment of silence before the game for Hall of Famer Tom Gola, a member of the inaugural 1962-63 San Francisco Warriors who died Sunday.

© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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