Bradley Beal is averaging 23.3 points per game this season.
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal missed Monday’s home game with the New Orleans Pelicans for personal reasons, the team announced Sunday. Washington rallied to beat New Orleans, 105-100, behind Spencer Dinwiddie to improve to 10-3 and remain atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Bradley Beal (personal reasons) will not play Monday night against New Orleans.
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) November 14, 2021
It marked Beal’s second straight absence following the recent death of his grandmother.
The Wizards are 3-0 with Beal out last season after going 2-10 in such games last season.
“We never want to be without Brad,” said first-year coach Wes Unseld Jr., who expects Beal back this week. “No one wants to be without their best player. But the fact that we can withstand some stretches is great.”
Aaron Holiday, who took Beal’s spot in the starting lineup, scored 12 points. Dinwiddie made his first three 3-point attempts in the third quarter to start the climb back from down 60-41, cutting the Pelicans’ lead to five before a series of fouls and missed free throws temporarily stalled the comeback bid.
Trailing by seven entering the fourth quarter, it took until Kyle Kuzma’s 3 with 5:18 left for the Wizards to pull even at 92 for the first tie since 33-all. Deni Avdija’s fast-break layup put Washington up with under four minutes left, and the second-year pro from Israel grabbed a defensive rebound on the next Pelicans possession to help ensure Washington wouldn’t fall behind again.
Beal, 28, leads the Wizards in scoring at 23.3 points per game to go with 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
