Beal, Pierce help Wizards hold off Rockets 104-103

HOUSTON -- Bradley Beal scored 33 points and Paul Pierce added 21, and the Washington Wizards survived a furious fourth-quarter charge by the Rockets for a 104-103 victory Monday night.

Nene added 12 points to go with five rebounds, and John Wall racked up 12 assists to go with 13 points for Washington, which won its third straight to open a five-game road trip.

James Harden scored 33 points - including a 3-pointer with under a second to go in regulation to get Houston within a point - and Corey Brewer added 15 from the bench for the Rockets.

Houston outscored the Wizards on second-chance points (18-9) and points in the paint (50-34) but was plagued by poor shooting. Washington had no such issues, shooting nearly 93 percent from the free-throw line and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Trevor Ariza, facing his former team for the first time since signing with Houston in the offseason, finished with 15 points and five rebounds.

His replacement at Washington, Pierce, tallied his 21 on 7-of-9 shooting to go with three rebounds.

The Wizards opened the second half on a 9-4 run over the first two minutes and never surrendered the lead. The Rockets didn't help themselves, committing five turnovers during the span.

Washington led by 18 points in the third quarter before withstanding a rally by Houston, which erased the deficit with 5:07 left to play in the game on a Harden fadeaway jumper to tie it 54-54.

The matchup between two 21-8 teams got off to a bumpy start. Play was stopped 48 seconds into the first quarter because of a goal malfunction.

Attempts to repair the rim failed, prompting a decision to replace the goal. It took Toyota Center staff about 20 minutes to replace the goal, and play resumed after an additional five-minute warmup period.

The episode was reminiscent of another delay experienced by both teams in January, when a water leak at Verizon Center in D.C. resulted in a rare rain delay lasting more than a half hour.

Beal led the Wizards to a 46-45 halftime lead with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

Houston kept it close with Harden and Howard combining for 24 points and eight rebounds.

Houston had early success against Wall, limiting the guard to just three points and five assists during the first half. He entered the game averaging 17.4 points and 11.7 assists on just under 50-percent shooting in December.

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TIP-INS

The Rockets: Harden was named player of the week for the Western Conference after helping Houston to a 2-1 record. Harden averaged a league-best 34.7 points and 7.3 assists, highlighted by a 44-point performance in a win over the Trail Blazers. ''He deserves it,'' Coach Kevin McHale said. ''We wouldn't have the record we have if it wasn't for James, no question about that.'' . G Alexey Shved missed his second consecutive game because of a left ankle sprain.

The Wizards: . With the victory, they improved to 22-8 to match their best start after 30 games in franchise history. The feat was first accomplished in the 1974-75 season. . F Martell Webster suited up for the first time this season after Washington activated him earlier Monday. The move came some six months after he underwent back surgery to repair a herniated disk. Webster saw no action.

UP NEXT

Houston plays host to Charlotte on Wednesday.

Washington visits Dallas on Tuesday, the second of a five-game road swing.