After turning around and flexing, Beal locked eyes with Russell Westbrook on the sideline, and both players cradled an imaginary bundle in their arms — rock the baby.
The Wizards have experienced few moments of genuine domination in their first six games. Beal, who led his team to a 130-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves for their first victory of the season, could be excused for having a little bit of fun.
“We came up short in so many games, and it was good to play a solid game throughout,” Wizards Coach Scott Brooks said on a video conference call with reporters afterward. “Throughout this game, I thought we had the right intensity and unselfish play on both ends of the floor.”
All it took for Washington to notch a win was a new year and an opponent searching for direction without its primary contributor. The Wizards (1-5), on the second night of a back-to-back set, were without Westbrook (rest) but still had Beal and a red-hot Thomas Bryant. Minnesota is without Karl-Anthony Towns (dislocated wrist) and struggled to find contributions elsewhere.
The visitors did exactly what they should have, given the situation, and ground the Timberwolves into the floor on offense. Beal scored 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting, becoming the first player in franchise history to start a season with at least 25 points in the first six games, and dished seven assists.
Bryant added 18 points on 7-for-7 shooting, extending his stellar performance from Thursday’s loss to Chicago. The center also pulled in seven rebounds. Six other Wizards players scored in double figures, including the three other starters. Malik Beasley had 21 points for Minnesota (2-3), which was also without starter Josh Okogie (hamstring strain).
For a stretch, it appeared Washington’s new year would start much the way 2020 ended — with a strong first-half performance on offense giving way to defensive woes and a loss. The Wizards shot 51.1 percent before halftime and still carried just a three-point edge, at 60-57, into the locker room after giving up 32 points in the second quarter.
In the third, Minnesota faded as a handful of starters fell into foul trouble and Washington finally took advantage of the circumstances, outscoring its opponent 40-14.
“The biggest thing for us at half was, ‘Let’s get back to having fun,’ ” Beal said on the NBC Sports Washington broadcast. “Get back in our element, play for each other and just leave it out there on the floor. We came out with that energy and that focus. We had a little slip-up in the second quarter, and that’s what we have to avoid. We went into halftime tonight and said, ‘In order for us to be the team we want to be, we have to eliminate the same mistakes we’ve been constantly making.’ ”
Beal had 11 points in less than 10 minutes in the third quarter, and Washington shot 54.5 percent from the three-point line. It ended the game shooting 55.1 percent from the floor and 48.5 from three-point range.
“We have to continue to put our foot on the pedal because we’re not that type of team who can just flip on a switch,” Beal said.
Minnesota was efficient as well, shooting 47.7 percent from the field — evidence that one win doesn’t make Washington a defensive powerhouse — but had less firepower than the Wizards.
Washington got an encouraging performance from Davis Bertans, who had 11 points and shot 3 for 7 from three-point range after shooting 28.6 percent from beyond the arc in the first five games. And with Westbrook out, rookie starter Deni Avdija got to show off his playmaking skills as he filled out the stat sheet. He had 11 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“I took a big step today,” he said.