Ding, dong! The streak is dead. The Wizards ended their seven-game losing skid with a 103-96 win against the Timberwolves at the Verizon Center on Saturday night.
Kevin Love recorded his 50th straight double-double, but John Wall -- who finished two assists shy of a triple-double -- was the real revelation. Wall showed unrivaled speed on the fast break, and an ability to get to the cup at will in the half-court offense, too. He finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Andray Blatche carried the Wizards in the first half, turning in 14 points of his 20 points before the break.
Trevor Booker provided a lift off the bench. He had six points, but four came on a pair of ferocious put-back slams that worked the Verizon Center crowd into a frenzy, and tilted the momentum in the Wizards favor. Mo Evans came off the pine to shoot 3-for-5 from deep, and finished with 15 points. The Wizards got 33 bench points compared to just 16 for the Timberwolves who were missing Wes Johnson (Flu-like symptoms) and Darko Milicic (personal reasons).
The Wizards had 10 steals, nagging the Timberwolves, who turned the ball over 21 times on the night. The Wizards also got to the line 10 more times than Minnesota, and made four more three-pointers.