SAN ANTONIO (AP) LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and nine rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs won their fifth straight, 98-90 over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night.
San Antonio remained in sixth place in the Western Conference, one-half game behind fourth-place Oklahoma City. The Spurs close out a six-game homestand on Friday against Utah, which is 1 1/2 games behind San Antonio in eighth place.
Bradley Beal and Kelly Oubre Jr. each had 21 points to lead the Wizards, who dropped into sixth in the Eastern Conference.
San Antonio’s winning streak follows a 3-11 skid that briefly dropped the Spurs out of playoff position.
Aldridge has been critical to the turnaround, averaging 29.6 points and 9.2 rebounds during the streak.
Against Washington, Aldridge scored nine points during a 23-9 run that gave San Antonio a 17-point lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Without injured All-Star John Wall, the Wizards were unable to answer.
The lead would extend to 22 points, allowing Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to rest his starters in the final four minutes.
Kyle Anderson added 16 points for San Antonio and Dejounte Murray had 10 rebounds.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Injuries forced Washington to play with a 10-man roster. … Wall missed his 24th straight game following left knee surgery. The Wizards are hopeful Wall will return later this month. . Mike Scott and Jodie Meeks both missed the game because of illness.
Spurs: Kawhi Leonard missed his 63rd game this season while battling right quadriceps tendinopathy. After the team’s morning shootaround, Manu Ginobili said the Spurs must play as if Leonard will not return this season. . San Antonio players have missed 165 games total. … Aldridge is the 27th player in league history with 900-plus blocks and 16,000-plus points in his career. He is the only player to accomplish that feat since he began his career in 2006.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Host Denver on Friday night.
Spurs: Host Utah on Friday night.
