Wizards 105, Trail Blazers 97: Bradley Beal went 4-of-4 from 3-point range and scored 23 points and John Wall had 21 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds as host Washington knocked off Portland for its fourth straight victory.

Marcin Gortat had 16 points and nine rebounds and Paul Pierce also scored 16 points as the Wizards moved within a half-game of fourth-place Chicago in the Eastern Conference. Nene added 12 points and seven rebounds after missing the previous two games due to personal reasons.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 12 rebounds and Nicolas Batum had 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who lost for just the second time in 10 games. Arron Afflalo scored 15 points and Damian Lillard added 14 points and nine assists.

Portland was within 94-90 after a basket by Aldridge with 2:55 left before Nene drained a 20-footer, Pierce knocked down a 3-pointer and Beal made a technical – called on Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts – to give Washington a 10-point lead. Aldridge hit consecutive baskets to bring Portland within 102-97 with 32.7 seconds left before Beal split two free throws and Wall slammed home a dunk with 13.9 seconds left to seal it.

Washington used a 10-0 spurt to create some distance from Portland and also scored the final 11 of the first half for a 60-40 edge at the break. A basket by Nene pushed the margin to 25 before the Trail Blazers came charging back with a 15-4 burst and eventually trailed 81-74 entering the final stanza.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington had a 25-4 edge in fast-break points. … Aldridge has seven double-doubles over the last 10 games. … The double-double was the second straight and 35th of the season for Wall.