DENVER -- John Wall scored 30 points, Bradley Beal had 23 and the Washington Wizards beat the short-handed Denver Nuggets 123-113 on Wednesday night.
Otto Porter Jr. added 22 points for the Wizards, who have won nine of their last 12 on the road, including their first back-to-back set on the road this season. Washington edged Phoenix 131-127 on Tuesday.
The Nuggets were without three of their starters. Nikola Jokic and Danilo Gallinari were both out because of illness, and Kenneth Faried was sidelined because of a back injury.
Gary Harris had 26 points for the Nuggets. Wilson Chandler added 21 and Mason Plumlee chipped in 19.
Denver was down by 24 points before closing the third quarter on a 16-5 run, pulling to 97-85 going into the final period.
A dunk by Plumlee cut Denver's deficit to 10 points, but Washington put together a 9-2 burst capped by a 3-pointer by Wall to rebuild the Wizards' lead to 106-89. The Wizards scored enough to fend off the Nuggets, helped immensely by Porter's 3-pointer with 53 seconds remaining after Denver had gotten within eight points.
Denver hung close early on but hit a lull as the Wizards led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter before taking a 67-50 lead at halftime. Beal and Wall combined to score 28 points in the first two quarters, helping the Wizards gain separation with a strong second.
After Chandler hit a jumper, Denver closed to 45-41 midway through the second quarter. Washington answered with an 18-3 burst that included 3-pointers by Beal and Wall.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Completed a sweep of the two-game season series with Denver after being swept by the Nuggets last season. ... Washington improved to 17-7 when all five starters score in double figures. Wall also had 10 assists. ... Markieff Morris was ejected with 2:08 left to play after a flagrant foul 2 was called against him for a collision in which Plumlee took a hit in the groin area.
Nuggets: With Jokic, Gallinari and Faried all out, Denver fielded its 27th different starting lineup, most in the league this season. ... Faried missed his sixth consecutive game due to his low back injury. ... Gallinari was out because of a bout with vertigo. .. Jokic missed a second consecutive game because of illness.
