Washington Wizards forward Drew Gooden (left) draws a foul on Brooklyn Nets forward Mason Plumlee in their NBA game on Saturday. The Wizards won 101-94. (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

DPA/Los Angeles


Virtually every team in the NBA had a chance to sign Drew Gooden. The Washington Wizards are glad they did.
Gooden scored a season-high 21 points Saturday night, including the go-ahead three-pointer with under three minutes to play, lifting the host Wizards to a crucial 101-94 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
John Wall had 33 points and six assists for the Wizards (35-31), who moved one game ahead of the Nets (33-31) into fifth place in the Eastern Conference and swept the three-game season series, claiming the tiebreaker.
“It was like a playoff game,” Wall said.
“It was an intense game, there is no question about that,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.
Gooden, 32, was released by the Milwaukee Bucks last summer. Despite career averages of 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds, the veteran forward remained unsigned throughout the off-season.
Washington lost Brazilian centre Nene to a knee injury on Feb 23 and signed Gooden three days later. After going scoreless in his first two games, he scored in double figures in four of his next six contests.
“I told them (Wizards) I was gonna make the best of this opportunity and won’t let them down and I think we’re starting to see that now,” Gooden said.
This was Gooden’s best game by far. He made 8-of-11 shots and added a season-high nine rebounds. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, when the Wizards erased a 10-point deficit.
“It’s good to see him in the league,” Nets coach Jason Kidd said. “He definitely helped them win the game tonight.”
Washington scored the game’s last nine points. Gooden had a bucket to tie it before draining his three-pointer for a 97-94 lead with 2:36 to play.
“You guys joke about me being old, but I’m still Drew Gooden,” he said. “That’s what I do. Once I see a couple go in, I feel like I can’t miss.”
Neither team scored for nearly two minutes until Trevor Ariza grabbed an offensive rebound and converted a layup to make it 99-94 with 44 seconds left. After a miss by Joe Johnson, Wall got loose for a breakaway dunk that sealed it.
The Nets were outscored 29-15 in the fourth quarter, missing their last eight shots. “We just had a terrible offensive and defensive fourth quarter,” said Nets forward Paul Pierce, who scored 15 points. “We can’t do that, especially with the playoffs looming around the corner.”
A three-pointer by Thornton opened the final period and gave the Nets an 82-72 lead. But Gooden scored the last six points of a 17-4 surge as the Wizards grabbed an 87-86 edge with 7:18 remaining.
I thought in the fourth quarter we got down and defended,” Wittman said. “We didn’t take any shortcuts.”
Beal scored 15 points for the Wizards, which shot 47 percent (36-of-77). Thornton scored 19 points and Johnson added 16 for the Nets, who shot 48 percent (34-of-71). “It could be the difference from having a Game 7 at home or a Game 7 on the road, so we have to take these games with a better sense of urgency from here on out,” Pierce said.
Elsewhere...
Memphis Grizzlies 103, Philadelphia 76ers 77: THe host 76ers tied a 41-year-old club record with their 20th straight loss and have not led in the fourth quarter during the slide. Mike Conley scored 19 points for the Grizzlies, who tied Dallas for seventh in the West with their fifth win in six games.
Indiana Pacers 112, Detroit Pistons 104 (OT): Paul George scored 30 points and David West had six of his 15 in overtime as the visiting Pacers stormed back from a 25-point deficit for their third straight win. Pistons centre Andre Drummond left in the first quarter with a neck injury.
Chicago Bulls 94, Sacramento Kings 87: Joakim Noah collected 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Bulls, who have won 13 of their last 17 games. DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 14 boards for the Kings, who fell to 2-4 on their seven-game road trip.
New York Knicks 115, Milwaukee Bucks 94: Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points as the host Knicks won their season-best sixth straight game.  The league-worst Bucks have lost six of seven.
Atlanta Hawks 97, Denver Nuggets 92: Paul Millsap had 24 points and 11 boards for the host Hawks, who blew a 21-point lead but recovered for their third straight win.

Injury ends EX-Lakers star Odom’s European stint

Two-time NBA champion Lamar Odom’s foray into European basketball has been cut short due to a back injury, his Spanish club said yesterday. Laboral Kutxa Baskonia said Odom’s personal doctors in New York have ruled him unfit to play for two months, meaning “his present contract with the club has finished”.
Odom joined the Spanish side last month on a two-month deal with an option to extend it for the remainder of the season. The club, based in the northern city of Vitoria, said the 34-year-old power forward was suffering from lumbar radiculitis, a spine injury that causes severe lower back pain. Odom played a total of just 23 minutes in two games for the Spanish side, scoring just two points.
He thanked his Spanish fans for their support in an audio message posted on the club’s website.
“This is something that is beyond my control. This is beyond anyone’s control,” he added. “It’s up to me as a responsible athlete to, if I’m injured, to take care of it. I think everything happens for a reason.”