MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Bradley Beal scored 20, John Wall had 18 points and 14 assists and the Washington Wizards defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 92-83 on Saturday night.
Drew Gooden added 16 for Washington, connecting on 6 of 10 shots, including 3 of 5 from outside the arc. Rasual Butler added 10 for the Wizards, who won their third straight.
Marc Gasol led Memphis with 18 points, while Mike Conley scored 14 points - the only two Grizzlies in double figures. It came a night after six were in double digits in a win over Oklahoma City.
The game was much more at the Wizards pace as they held a 26-5 advantage in fastbreak points. Washington also connected on 8 of 22 from outside the arc, much better than Memphis, which managed only one of its 15 shots from 3-point range.
The loss dropped Memphis into the third spot in the Western Conference playoff standings - a half-game behind idle Houston.
Both teams were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, but Memphis looked like it was suffering from the effects much more than Washington, which had to travel to Memphis after a home win over the New York Knicks.
Wall had 12 to help Washington to a 49-38 halftime lead.
The Wizards were able to build the margin while Memphis misfired on 11 of 14 shots during a stretch spanning the first and second quarters.
Memphis cut into that lead slightly as Washington missed its first six shots in the second quarter.
The Wizards already controlled the pace, holding a 15-1 advantage in fastbreak points in the first half, not exactly the slow, halfcourt game Memphis prefers.
Memphis was able to control the paint with its inside game with a 52-38 advantage, but that wasn't enough to offset the fastbreak points and 3-point shooting by the Wizards.
Washington continually outhustled the Grizzlies to loose balls, leaving Memphis players shaking their heads in frustration. The Wizards stretched the lead to 13 in the third quarter, holding a 71-59 lead at the end of the frame.
Memphis never got closer than seven points in the fourth.
