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Chicago • Bradley Beal came on strong late in regulation to finish with 26 points, Nene scored six of his 17 in overtime and the Washington Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 101-99 Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.
Washington rallied from 10 down in the fourth quarter after blowing a 17-point first-quarter lead.
Nene scored the first six points in overtime after being held in check by Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah in regulation, and the Wizards hung on after Kirk Hinrich failed to convert at the foul line in the closing seconds.
Noah had just hit two free throws when Beal missed a jumper with 18 seconds left. Jimmy Butler got the rebound and Chicago called time.
Hinrich, a 76 percent free-throw shooter this season, had a chance to tie it after getting fouled by Nene on a drive with 2.4 seconds left. But his first attempt hit the rim. He deliberately missed the second, and Trevor Ariza grabbed the rebound to seal the win for Washington.
D.J. Augustin led Chicago with 25 points. Taj Gibson had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Noah added 20 points and 12 boards, but the Bulls will have to dig themselves out of a huge hole after dropping two at home.
John Wall had 16 points and seven assists for Washington.
The Bulls appeared to be in good shape up 87-77 five minutes into the fourth and were still leading 91-85 when Beal, quiet in the second half, shot the Wizards back into the game.
He nailed a 3-pointer that made it 91-88 and added a floater to make it a one-point game. Then, with a chance to put Washington ahead, he hit 1 of 2 free throws with 52.9 seconds left to tie it at 91.
Both teams had opportunities to win it in the closing seconds but couldn't convert.
Wizards 101, Bulls 99
OVERTIME
Washington 31 25 14 21 10 — 101
Chicago 20 29 26 16 8 — 99
WASHINGTON (101)
Ariza 3-8 0-0 8, Nene 8-13 1-4 17, Gortat 2-9 3-6 7, Wall 6-15 3-5 16, Beal 9-20 4-5 26, Booker 3-4 3-4 9, Webster 4-6 0-0 10, Miller 3-5 2-4 8, Gooden 0-0 0-0 0, Temple 0-0 0-0 0.
Totals 38-80 16-28 101.
CHICAGO (99)
Dunleavy 4-6 0-0 9, Boozer 2-6 1-2 5, Noah 8-14 4-4 20, Hinrich 5-13 2-4 12, Butler 2-9 2-2 6, Gibson 7-17 8-10 22, Snell 0-0 0-0 0, Mohammed 0-1 0-0 0, Augustin 10-22 1-2 25.
Totals 38-88 18-24 99.
3-Point Goals—Washington 9-23 (Beal 4-7, Webster 2-4, Ariza 2-6, Wall 1-5, Miller 0-1), Chicago 5-17 (Augustin 4-8, Dunleavy 1-3, Hinrich 0-3, Butler 0-3). Fouled Out—Nene. Rebounds—Washington 53 (Ariza, Booker 8), Chicago 57 (Noah 12). Assists—Washington 23 (Wall, Ariza 7), Chicago 23 (Augustin 7). Total Fouls—Washington 26, Chicago 23. Technicals—Ariza, Beal, Hinrich, Noah. A—21,663 (20,917).