Bradley Beal left the Washington Wizards 90-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers with 2:08 left in the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle. Beal had to be carried off the court by teammates and was unable to put weight on the foot. The rookie guard was using crutches after the game but said he didn't think the injury was too serious.
''I honestly thought it was more serious than what it was, because at first, I really couldn't move my foot,'' Beal told reporters. ''I couldn't really feel it. I guess that's just what happens when you're in shock, and your mind's just going all over the place.'' He will undergo more thorough testing Monday morning. He finished the night with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes.
After Beal was carried to the locker room, point guard John Wall lifted the Wizards to victory, scoring the final six points of the game and helping Washington pick up its 19th win of the year. Wall missed the first 33 games of the season due to injury and has had his ups and downs since returning. He has been criticized at times for allowing his frustration and disappointment in his own play to be visible, but against the Sixers he showed plenty of confidence. After the game Wall said ''I've proven myself in college. I just have to keep proving myself. I like the ball at the end of games. On those types of plays, you want to be the hero, you want to have the pressure. Sometimes, you're going to succeed. Sometimes, you're going to fail. As long as you have confidence and believe in your ability, you're going to be all right.''
Emeka Okafor had 12 points and 16 rebounds in the winning effort and fellow big man Nene Hilario had 15 points and nine rebounds, falling one board shy of a double-double.
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