Young scores 43 points as Washington survives fourth-quarter collapse
All season the Wizards have been competitive at home and abysmal on the road -- a winless 0-18 away from Verizon Center. On Tuesday, Washington tried to combine the two, starting strong but collapsing repeatedly and suffering collateral damage before finishing with its highest scoring output of the year in a 136-133 overtime win against Sacramento in front of 16,226.
After surrendering a six-point advantage in the final 14 seconds of regulation, the Wizards (10-26) led by five in the extra period but weren't safe until DeMarcus Cousins missed a desperation 3-point heave just before the buzzer.
No player better represented Washington's wild swings than Nick Young, who turned another solid performance at home into a memorable one with a career-high 43 points, including 18 straight points over the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. But Young only had three points in the second quarter, which couldn't have been more forgettable for Washington.
John Wall (nine assists) added 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, including 10 in a row in the final four minutes of regulation, but he left in overtime with cramps. Andray Blatche (16 points, 13 rebounds) also left early with a sprained right shoulder suffered with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter.
Beno Udrih and Francisco Garcia each had 26 points and Carl Landry added a season-high 23 points for the Kings (8-27).
It was difficult to tell which team was the visitor in the first half. Washington was self-assured in the first quarter, shooting better than 71 percent from the floor and blowing the game open with a 19-2 run that included nine points from Young, who averages four more points at Verizon Center than he does on the road.
But after leading by 20 points with 1:03 left in the first quarter, the Wizards might as well have been on the West Coast in the second because they were absent on the court, allowing the Kings (2-12 on the road this season) to outscore them 37-18.
When Cousins spun JaVale McGee aside and dunked with 3:11 remaining in the half, he cut the Wizards' lead to one at 48-47. Landry then also spun for a slam to put the Kings in front 49-48, completing their comeback in 10 minutes, 40 seconds.
Young's hot shooting helped Washington score a season-high 40 points in the third quarter and again build the lead to double digits. Then Washington let Sacramento back in the game by allowing a season-high 43 points in the final period.