Wizards vs. Bucks: Washington wins third in a row at home

The 20-point lead seemed to vanish in the time it takes John Wall to get to the basket on one of his patented full-court drives. Wall was angry, and clashed momentarily with Coach Randy Wittman on the bench over blown defensive assignments, forcing the short-handed Washington Wizards to huddle to find a solution for the hard-charging Milwaukee Bucks.

On the verge of their worst collapse of the season, the Wizards regrouped around Wall, who settled down his teammates with his playmaking and scoring, posting 23 points and 10 assists to lead the Wizards to a 106-93 victory at Verizon Center. Wall was prepared to carry a heavy burden with the Wizards down to just two healthy back-court players and he overcame his own fatigue to log a season-high 43 minutes on the second end of back-to-back games.

“I’m still trying to get back into top game shape,” said Wall, who soaked in the cold tub after the game. “Whatever to help my team win and me to getting better, I’m willing to do it.”

The Wizards (21-42) surpassed their win total from the 66-game lockout-shortened campaign of last season and improved to 16-14 since Wall returned from a three-month absence with a stress injury in his left knee. Washington also won its third straight game at home and took two of three in the season series against the Bucks (32-31), a likely playoff team.

With Bradley Beal missing his fifth consecutive game with a sprained left ankle and backup point guard A.J. Price out because his right groin was sore from the night before, the Wizards were down to guards Wall and Garrett Temple.

Wall made electrifying drives, spin-move dishes, and even used a wicked crossover Wednesday night. He has put together his best string of consecutive games, coming off a game in Cleveland in which he notched season-highs with 27 points and 14 assists in a loss.

“Just being more aggressive,” said Wall, who is averaging 19 points and 7.7 assists and shooting 48 percent from the field in his past five games. “Just give credit to me working more harder with [assistant coach Sam Cassell] on my jump shot and those type of things, getting to spots and watching film.”

Reserve swingman Trevor Ariza wasn’t optimistic that he would play after sitting the second half of Tuesday’s loss with a sore left knee. Ariza tested his knee before the game and decided to play, giving the Wizards some much-needed boost.

“If I can run, I’m going to play. If I can stand and walk, I’m going to play. So that’s all it takes,” Ariza said after scoring 14 points and knocking down three three-pointers. “That’s what happens sometimes. When you’re shorthanded, you find ways to win. You always try to pick up what the other people do, especially when they are out. We did a good job of that. John did a good job of controlling the game.”

Six Wizards scored in double figures, including reserve Trevor Booker (13 points and 12 rebounds), who has struggled to get consistent minutes but played with the aggressiveness and energy that he had become known for in his first two seasons.