WASHINGTON, D.C. _ Michael Beasley isn't supposed to be the guy the Knicks rely on to bail them out. That's Kristaps Porzingis' role.
But Porzingis, just like the Knicks record, is in a steady free fall.
The Washington's Wizards backcourt combination of John Wall and Bradley Beal were too much for the Knicks, who began a three-game road trip with a 121-103 loss.
Jeff Hornacek's team has now lost six of their last seven and fell to 3-13 on the road.
Porzingis finished with 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting and was never a factor in the second half as the Knicks were outscored 57-40 over the last 24 minutes. Since returning from a minor injury, Porzingis has made just 54 of 150 shots over his last eight games.
The final result would have looked much worse if not for Beasley coming off the bench to score 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Beal scored a game-high 27 points and Wall added 25 as Washington improved to 22-16. Marcin Gortat added 21 points. The Knicks fell to 18-20 and will conclude their road trip with games in Miami and Dallas on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The night after scoring 91 points in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks produced 63 in the opening half against Washington. One problem. Hornacek's team couldn't prevent the Wizards from scoring.
Washington scored 64 in the opening 24 minutes with half of those points coming from its starting backcourt. Beal, coming off a 39-point performance on New Year's Eve against Chicago, scored 18 in the first half on Wednesday.
The talented 24-year-old shooting guard has been Washington's best player this season and is on pace to make his first All-Star team. Last season, Beal was under consideration as an injury replacement for Kevin Love in last year's All Star Game but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver instead selected Carmelo Anthony.
Beal brought the crowd to his feet when he wrong footed Porzingis with a cross-over dribble which led to a step back three. The basket extended the Wizards lead to 84-68 and compelled Hornacek to call time out.
The Wizards extended their lead to 17 before finally cooling off. They scored just six points over the last six minutes of the third but the Knicks scored a total of 15 in the period. The lead ballooned to 19 in with eight minutes left in the fourth but back to back three-point plays from Beasley gave the Knicks life.
Jarrett Jack missed two free throws with 6:32 left that would have cut Washington's lead to 13. By now, Scott Brooks went back to his starting unit and Markief Morris responded with a jumper. The Knicks twice closed to within 10 in the last 4:30 but first Morris knocked down a three and Wall put the Knicks away with a thunderous dunk.
Kyle O'Quinn gave the Knicks solid minutes off the bench and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds while starting center Enes Kanter, in foul trouble from the start, scored 12 points but played just 18 minutes.
