Los Angeles Clippers guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) fouls Washington Wizards forward Mike Scott (30) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. Also seen is Los Angeles Clippers forward Jamil Wilson, lower left. The Wizards won 100-91. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Los Angeles Clippers guard Jawun Evans, left, grabs the ball ahead of Washington Wizards forward Tomas Satoransky, right, of the Czech Republic, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) goes to the basket against Washington Wizards forward Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) talks with referee Mitchell Ervin (27) after he was called for a foul during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Los Angeles Clippers guard Jawun Evans (1) goes to the basket past Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat (13), of Poland, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) follows through on his dunk against Washington Wizards forward Tomas Satoransky, right, of Czech Republic, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris (5) passes the ball against Los Angeles Clippers forward Jamil Wilson (13) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) dribbles against Los Angeles Clippers guard Jawun Evans (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots against Los Angeles Clippers guard Jawun Evans (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. Evans was called for a foul on the play. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) loses the ball against Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams (23) and forward Jamil Wilson (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. The Wizards won 100-91. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, center, goes to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Sindarius Thornwell (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. The Wizards won 100-91. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) shoots as Los Angeles Clippers forward Sam Dekker (7) watches during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) blocks Los Angeles Clippers guard Jawun Evans (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. Also seen is Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3). The Wizards won 100-91. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Wizards center Ian Mahinmi, left, fouls Clippers center Willie Reed during the first half of Friday’s game in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Wizards forward Mike Scott (30) goes to the basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Wizards guard John Wall, right, goes to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers forward Jamil Wilson (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Wizards forward Mike Scott (30) soars in for a dunk during the first half against the Clippers. Scott came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points in Washington’s victory. Must credit: Washington Post photo by Toni L. Sandys
Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) shoots over Clippers forward Wesley Johnson during the first half of their game at Capital One Arena on Friday night in Washington, D.C. Must credit: Washington Post photo by Toni L. Sandys
Wizards guard John Wall, left, and teammates Marcin Gortat (13), and Bradley Beal, right, celebrate after a basket by Wall during the second half against the Clippers. Must credit: Washington Post photo by Toni L. Sandys
Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks, right, watches next to guard Bradley Beal (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
WASHINGTON — At the rate the Clippers are dropping, Doc Rivers is going to exhaust every conceivable starting lineup before the All-Star break.
Mike Scott tied a season-high with 22 points while Bradley Beal added 20 as the Washington Wizards held off the short-handed Clippers 100-91 on Friday night.
Scott scored 10 points in the third quarter, hitting four of his five shots from the field. Scott, who averages 8.4 points per game, made 9 of 10 from the field and has made 34 of 43 over the last six games for the Wizards.
“He loves to play against the Clippers, I know that,” Wizards coach Scott Brooks joked after Scott went a combined 18 for 23 from the field as Washington split two games with the Clippers over the last seven days.
“Just in a zone,” Scott said when trying to explain his recent shooting surge.
“I didn’t think I’d be shooting like this either.”
John Wall scored 15 points on just 5-for-16 shooting in his second game back after a nine-game absence but scored seven points as the Wizards closed the game on an 18-9 run after the Clippers had rallied to tie the score at 82 on a 3-pointer by Lou Williams.
“He made big plays for us down the stretch,” Brooks said about Wall. “He’s a gamer, he’s a closer.”
Williams led the Clippers with 23 points and rookie Jawun Evans had a career-high 15 points as they had their three-game winning streak snapped. DeAndre Jordan added 12 points and 16 rebounds.
“That’s all you can ask,” Doc Rivers said about his team’s ability to rally from 18 down to tie the score in the fourth quarter despite playing without four-fifths of its opening night starting lineup. “We’re just going to try to stay in games and steal them at the end. That’s what we tried to do tonight.”
“That’s who we are. We’re the grind team right now. They don’t give in even in the games we’ve lost.”
The Clippers are 0-8 when trailing after the third quarter on the road and just 2-13 overall.
Already without forward Blake Griffin for several more weeks and Patrick Beverley for the season, the Clippers also played without forward Danilo Gallinari, guard Milos Teodosic and guard Austin Rivers.
Gallinari remains out with a glute injury, Teodosic was out because of a minutes restriction from an earlier plantar fascia injury and Rivers is in the concussion protocol after taking a shot to the head in Wednesday’s win at Orlando.
All of this resulted in Rivers using his 11th different starting lineup 27 games into the season. Beyond moving Williams into the starting lineup, the Clippers had to start rookies Sindarius Thornwell (five points) and Jamil Wilson (10).
Beyond his career high in points (15), Evans had his career bests in assists (six), rebounds (six), steals (five) and minutes played (40).
Despite trailing by double digits at some point in each quarter the Clippers twice tied the score down the stretch in the fourth.
Otto Porter Jr. left the game with 8:56 remaining in the first half after picking up two fouls. A few minutes later Porter went to the locker room with a trainer and missed the rest of the game with a right thigh bruise, finishing with a season-low three minutes and two points.
The Clippers erased the majority of an 18-point deficit to pull within 48-43 by halftime. The Clippers shot just 31 percent in the first quarter but brought that number up to 40 percent for the half.
NO DUNKING
In an effort to keep Wall healthy, Brooks has instituted a no dunking policy during practice for the four-time All-Star even though he admitted it will be hard to enforce.
Upon hearing the rule during pre-game Doc Rivers joked: “Well, Scotty’s used to that because he had that policy for his whole career as a player.”
Wall didn’t have a dunk against the Clippers.
TIP-INS
Clippers: L.A. continues its four-game trip on Saturday at Miami. The Clippers lost to the Heat 104-101 on Nov. 5 at Staples Center.
Wizards: Forward Markieff Morris returned to the starting lineup after missing Wednesday’s win over Memphis with right hip soreness. … Wall missed his first two free throws after going 0 for 4 from the line against Memphis and finished 3 for 5.
