Washington Wizards guard John Wall, right, drives on Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich (12) during the first half of Game 2 in an opening-round NBA basketball playoff series Tuesday, April 22, 2014, in Chicago.CHICAGO – This one looked like it was slipping away from the Washington Wizards. Then, in a flash everything changed.
Bradley Beal came on strong late in regulation to finish with 26 points, Nene scored six of his 17 points in overtime and the Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 101-99 Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series. Game 3 is Friday at Washington.
“We’ve got to come out like we’re down 0-1 or 0-2,” said Beal, who scored 11 in the fourth quarter. “We’ve got to have that sense of urgency and just that drive and that motivation like we did early. We’ve got to be able to maintain that lead. We’ve got to continue to stay poised.”
The Wizards couldn’t maintain a 17-point first-quarter lead and had to rally from 10 down in the fourth.
Nene scored the first six points in overtime after being held in check by Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah in regulation, and the Wizards hung on after Kirk Hinrich failed to convert at the foul line in the closing seconds of overtime.