| |
|
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:
Deniega to fight Oka in Japan By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 02 Jan 2026Illness forces Paddy Donovan to withdraw from IBF Welterweight World Eliminator January 16 versus Liam Paro in Australia , Fri, 02 Jan 2026Canadian World Cruiserweight Contender Ryan Rozicki returning to ring March 7th , Thu, 01 Jan 2026Lover Boy on hot streak By Joaquin Henson, , Wed, 31 Dec 2025Silvano fights Gurung on January 13 in Hong Kong By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 31 Dec 2025GM Laylo faces tough competition in Caloocan rapid chess By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 31 Dec 2025GOLDEN BOY DELIVERS A LOADED UNDERCARD OF STAR PROSPECTS FOR ROCHA VS. CURIEL II , Wed, 31 Dec 2025Arca wins silver in Eastern Asian Juniors Chess Championships 2025 By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 31 Dec 2025Donaire awaits WBA order By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 30 Dec 2025Anthony Joshua injured in car crash in Nigeria By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Tue, 30 Dec 2025Sampson Boxing Signs Red Hot Middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr to Exclusive Promotional Contract , Tue, 30 Dec 2025Undefeated Carl Jammes Martin Plots Next Move as New Year Unfolds , Mon, 29 Dec 2025Alvin Gayeta Roma leads Mansa Engineering Consultancy Team B to rule New York Chess Academy Team Tournament; pockets P100,000 By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 29 Dec 2025Llover, Casimero stop foes in Japan By Lito delos Reyes, , Sun, 28 Dec 2025Organizing Committee Meets for Dr. Eugene Torre Rapid Chess Tournament Honoring FIL-CHI’s Golden Anniversary , Sun, 28 Dec 2025KEYSHAWN DAVIS RETURNS ON THE RING 6 UNDERCARD AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN , Sun, 28 Dec 2025IM Datu captures 4th IIEE Chess SIKAT, Jeremy Marticio repeat champ for 5th mini-tournament By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 27 Dec 2025THE RING 6: NIGHT OF THE SAMURAI WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER CONFIRMED AS INOUE AND PICASSO CLASH IN RIYADH , Fri, 26 Dec 2025THE RING 6: NIGHT OF THE SAMURAI PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES , Fri, 26 Dec 2025THE RING 6: NIGHT OF THE SAMURAI OPEN WORKOUTS COMPLETE AS UNDISPUTED KING INOUE GETS READY FOR PICASSO CLASH IN RIYADH , Thu, 25 Dec 20253-Time, 2-Division World Champion & IBF No. 1, Mandatory Bantamweight World Title Challenger Miyo Yoshida long overdue for her 8th World title fight , Thu, 25 Dec 2025Game On! 1st Paower Pickleball Cup Ignites Action in San Fernando By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 25 Dec 2025Late Replacement Tellez Ready to Shock the World Against Amanda Serrano for WBA & WBO Featherweight Titles on January 3 in Puerto Rico , Wed, 24 Dec 2025The Pryce is right again! , Wed, 24 Dec 2025Postal Stamp Honoring Muhammad Ali will be present in January 15 By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 24 Dec 2025 |

|
|
|
|
|