On the verge of a tough loss, it would’ve been easy for the Washington Wizards to simply allow San Antonio’s Tim Duncan to throw in the inbounds pass to Patty Mills in the final seconds of overtime. But John Wall was not willing to give in. He wanted to keep playing. And when Duncan floated the pass high, Wall leaped high to pick it off, then raced up the court for a layup to complete an improbable run of six points in 46 seconds to force a another extra period.
Any momentum created for the Wizards from the drama of the first overtime dissipated in the second behind tired legs, poor execution, half-hearted jumpers and slow rotations. The result was a 125-118 loss to the Spurs that extended the longest, most lopsided current streak in the NBA.
Wall scored a team-high 29 points but missed all six of his shots in the second overtime as the Wizards (24-24) lost to the Spurs for the 16th consecutive time. The loss also snapped a two-game win streak for Washington, which had made it a habit of giant-killing at Verizon Center in recent weeks. The Wizards had a 17-point lead in the first half, but crumbled in the third quarter, when Duncan rallied his team by scoring 14 of his game-high 31 points.
Already without Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs lost all-star point guard Tony Parker to back tightness at halftime and Duncan to fouls in double overtime. Mills, Parker’s backup, scored 11 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and the first overtime. Danny Green finished with 22 points, including a crushing three-pointer in the second overtime to put the Spurs ahead, 122-117.
Wall had a game-high nine assists, but the Wizards were forced to play the extra sessions without Bradley Beal, who had already exhausted his 35 minutes of playing time in regulation, scoring 19 points.
For one half, the Wizards were running a seemingly improbable clinic on the Spurs. Wall had the ball on a string and was finding his teammates cutting to the basket and hitting pull-up jumpers. The defense was swarming and relentless as it forcing turnovers and fast-break opportunities.
When Wall stole the ball from Green and fed Beal for a one-handed jam, the Wizards led 55-38 and appeared to be headed toward a win that could end more than eight years of dominance by the Spurs.
The Spurs lost Parker at halftime, but actually gained a spark in the form of Nando De Colo, who scored eight points in the third quarter, when San Antonio outscored the Wizards 34-21.
Nene called out his teammates after a lackluster performance in San Antonio on Nov. 12, telling the young players on the team to “take their heads out their butts” and start playing more like a team. The comments jarred both Wall and Beal, and Nene eventually apologized for airing out his frustrations publicly, but the message resonated and resulted in improved play.
When they came together for the rematch, the Wizards were coming off wins over two of the top teams in the Western Conference in Oklahoma City and Portland, rising above the .500 mark for the first time in more than four years.
Nene had a rough start, scoring just two points through the first three periods while struggling to contend with both Duncan and Boris Diaw. He finished with 12 points, but shot just 4 of 12 from the field.
The Wizards lost by 13 points in their last meeting despite holding Duncan to one of the worst games of his certain hall of fame career. Duncan missed 11 of his 12 shots from the field and scored just two points in November, but his teammates more than made up for a rare putrid effort. They didn’t have the luxury of winning in spite of Duncan on Wednesday and he was up for some heavy lifting. Marcin Gortat and Nene both spent time matched up with Duncan and he had little trouble scoring over either one.
The Spurs led 82-81 after Trevor Ariza fouled Matt Bonner with the shot clock winding down near the end of the third period. Bonner made 1 of 2 free throws, but Garrett Temple allowed the Wizards to enter the fourth quarter with a lead when he made a long jumper as time expired.
Green hit a three-pointer to bring the Spurs within 94-92 but Wall made a free throw and later found Nene cutting to the basket for a scoop shot that bounded high off the rim before dropping. After Ariza dunked to put the Wizards ahead, 99-94, the Spurs responded with a three-pointer from Mills and hook from Duncan to tie the game with 62 seconds remaining.
Mills hit a three-pointer to put the Spurs ahead, 111-104, in overtime, but Wall led a furious rally that came up short. The Wizards haven’t defeated the Spurs since Nov. 12, 2005 and are 2-6 in overtime this season.
Wizards note: Trevor Booker missed the victory over Portland to attend the funeral of his grandfather, Mc’elroy, in Carlisle, S.C. Booker said before the game that his grandfather always enjoyed watching him play and vowed to have an inspired performance. He scored 10 points Wednesday to lead the Wizards’ bench production and also grabbed six rebounds.
