| |
|
NBA -- Wizards hold off Rockets in Houston, 104-103
By Leo Quilaton PhilBoxing.com Wed, 31 Dec 2014

HOUSTON - Bradley Beal and Paul Pierce provided the 1-2 punch that the Washington Wizards needed to beat Western Conference heavyweights Houston Rockets on Monday night at the Toyota Center.
Beal tallied a game-high 33 points, thanks to a perfect 10-for-10 trip at the free throw stripe, and the veteran Pierce added 21 points as the Wizards upset the 21-9 Rockets at their home turf, 104-103.
John Wall was instrumental for the Wizards as well and recorded 13 points and 12 assists as Washington held on to their third place spot in the Eastern Conference with a mighty 22-8 overall record, including an impressive 8-4 slate away from the home court the Verizon Center.
"I was just being aggressive, taking what the defense gave me. I was fortunate to have a lot of open shots," Beal told reporters after the game, including ESPN.
It wasn't easy though.
Leading by nine, 93-83, with 3:50 left to play, the Wizards appeared headed to a comfortable finish. But James Harden led a mini-run that pulled Houston to within 100-97 in the final 19 seconds of play.
The Wizards didn't panic, though, and four free throws by Beal and Wall eventually extinguished Houston's fire.
Harden had 33 points and six rebounds for the Rockets and Dwight Howard added 13. Trevor Ariza pitched in 15 but the newly-acquired Josh Smith was held to three points on 1-for-6 shooting.
Photo: Bradley Beal (center) tried to elude Rockets' stars Dwight Howard and James Harden at the Toyota Center. Beal topped with 33 points as Washington scored a 104-103 nail-biter.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Leo Quilaton.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
WBC Celebrates 63 years of dedication to the sports and fighters By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 14 Feb 2026BOXING STARS FROM AROUND THE WORLD LINING UP FOR 2026 HALL OF FAME WEEKEND IN "BOXING’S HOMETOWN" , Sat, 14 Feb 2026Filipino Boxers Make Weight in Brico Santig's Valentine's Show in Thailand By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 14 Feb 2026Filipinos Vitor and Tapales Take on Russians for IBF Asia Titles in Moscow Today By Dong Secuya, , Fri, 13 Feb 2026Manny Pacquiao Promotions Returns to Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. with a Pair of World Championship Bouts , Fri, 13 Feb 2026IOAN CROFT AND GARAN CROFT SIGN FOR MATCHROOM BOXING AS EDDIE HEARN LOOKS AHEAD TO BRIGHT FUTURE FOR EXCITING WELSH TWINS , Fri, 13 Feb 20263 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera Confirmed for Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Saturday May 2, in Las Vegas , Fri, 13 Feb 2026Day One Concludes at 2026 USA Boxing International Open , Thu, 12 Feb 2026Female Boxing GOAT Katie Taylor to be Special guest at All-N.E. Golden Gloves Thursday, Feb. 12, in Lowell, MA , Thu, 12 Feb 2026Brandon McCarthy Signs with Wise Owl Boxing, Set to Make Noise at 135 lbs , Thu, 12 Feb 2026Filipino Boxers Set for Action on Valentine's Day in Thailand By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026Oklahoma Outplays LA Lakers, 119-110; Arrests Skid to Hold on to League Lead By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026Malaya Vibrations to play gig at 5th MFPI Mindanao Summit By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026Fight of the Night in Thailand: Ador Torres and Sairike Tuolewutayi Battle to a Thrilling Draw By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026Young Australian Benji Birchell Claims Title Win in Thailand , Wed, 11 Feb 2026Tickets for the Inaugural “Mike Tyson Invitational” Amateur Fight Night on Saturday, March 14, in Las Vegas Are on Sale Now , Wed, 11 Feb 20262026 USA Boxing Men's Elite High Performance Team and Squad Rosters Announced , Wed, 11 Feb 2026IIEE, SAEP shared lead, PIChE won 3rd in a row in the PTC WED NEMO Chess By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026The Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo RETURNS! Saturday May 2, 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV , Wed, 11 Feb 2026THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 9 FEBRUARY 2026: Figueroa Stops Ball in 12; Medina Outpoints Curiel; Asanau, Unal Win in Montreal By Eric Armit, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026Paradero gets a rematch against Francisco By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026Carcedo wins WBA Asia South super welterweight title By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026Shark attack in Florida Marco “El Tiburón” Romero Making waves on Feb. 19 , Tue, 10 Feb 202619-1 Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga returns on February 21 to Atlantic City , Tue, 10 Feb 20262026 USA Boxing Elite High Performance Women's Team and Squad Rosters Announced , Tue, 10 Feb 2026 |

|
|
|
|
|