In the midst of their roughest stretch of the season, Paul Pierce and the Washington Wizards welcomed the best team in basketball to their home in nation’s capital, and The Truth gave his every bit of energy, and even sacrificed his body to get his team out of its slump.

The veteran came through with an inspired 25-point, five-rebound performance—but it wasn’t quite enough, and the Wizards fell 114-107.

Golden State Warriors v Washington Wizards

Paul went 7-of-11 from the field and 9-of-9 from the free-throw line, while adding an assist, a steal and a block to his masterful night, and his team followed suit, shooting 53.2 percent one of their best efforts of the recent rough patch. However, thanks to 26 turnovers, the Wiz suffered their ninth defeat in 11 games—but No. 34 came away encouraged that the cold streak would soon snap.

“I saw something different today than I saw the last two games,” Paul said of his team’s play against Golden State. “Outside of our turnovers, we played with much more urgency. If we can play like that the rest of the season, I think we’ll be fine.”

Paul, too, says he’ll be fine physically. Late in the loss, the future Hall of Famer banged knees with Warriors forward Draymond Green. The Truth set a screen for point guard John Wall to attempt a desperation heave, and he collided with the 230-pound Green, sending him tumbling backward.

For a brief time, Wizards fans held their breath as No. 34 was helped off the court and into the locker room. The final seconds ticked away with the home team on the wrong end, but the focus was on their star small forward’s health. The Truth didn’t let fans worry too long, announcing immediately after the game that he planned to play the second night of the back-to-back.

From the opening tip to that night-ending collision, Paul put it all on the table and nearly willed the Wizards to an upset over the Warriors, who hold the NBA’s best record at a blistering 44-10. D.C. played unselfish ball, tossing out 23 assists, but all that ball movement was sloppy at times, resulting in 26 turnovers and 23 easy points for a team that needs no handouts.

Golden State Warriors v Washington Wizards

“It’s just the turnovers,” The Truth said. “I think we’re our own worst enemies over the last few games, we’re one of the worst teams in the league at turning the ball over, so we’ve got to be able to address that and take care of the ball, and I think we’ll be alright. We’ve been saying it all year, when we turn the ball over at high levels, we don’t give ourselves a chance. We move the ball well for the most part, we try to play unselfish, but at the end of the day we have to play a little smarter and take care of the ball and be more responsible with it.”

There’s a chance for fireworks anytime the lights-out tandem of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are in town, but the 37-year-old Oakland-born Pierce wasn’t about to let the young stars show him up in his new stomping grounds. The Wizards stormed out to a 9-0 lead before the Warriors answered back with five quick points, including a long three from Curry. But after his first hit from distance, Paul answered right back with a three of his own the next trip down the court.

The Truth tallied five points in the first, but Curry was just too hot early, going 3-of-5 from three for 13 first-quarter points, giving the Warriors a 30-28 lead at the break. Golden State built that lead to nine before Paul re-entered at the 4:56 mark of the second. The Truth then scored two points in a 13-7 run to close the half and close the gap back to three, 54-51, at halftime.

With his team up three coming out of the half, Curry set the scoring pace early in the third period, draining a triple on Golden State’s first possession. But The Truth shrugged off the star point guard’s deep ball and knocked down a long two before sinking a three of his own on consecutive possessions.

It wasn’t the first time in the game that No. 34 had matched the guard more than 10 years his junior, nor would it be the last. Paul scored nine of the Wizards’ first 13 points, and he went on to score 13 of his team’s first 22 before checking out at the 2:41 mark. His final point of the quarter, the third free throw after he drew a foul on an attempt from deep, gave the Wizards a 73-72 edge, their first lead since the first quarter.

After the game, The Truth explained what was going through his mind as he kept the Wizards afloat in the third quarter.

“I just wanted to try to be aggressive. I thought over the last few games I hadn’t been as aggressive and our scoring’s pretty much been down, and I felt the need to be a little more aggressive to give our offense at least a little spark,” Paul told reporters Tuesday night. “Last game, I think I took about four or five shots, and that’s not me. I think our team scores well when I’m shooting the three and getting to the line, that’s what I was trying to do tonight. But it doesn’t matter what I do, it has to be a team thing. I want to get the win no matter how I play.”

Also in that big third frame, Paul let his offense translate to the defensive end. Midway through the quarter, the 17-year vet knocked down a tough fadeaway jumper over 22-year-old Harrison Barnes—and the North Carolina product tried to out-hustle The Truth in transition. But Paul was ready for it, racing Barnes step-for-step down the floor and erasing his attempt on the other end.

The impressive third-quarter from the Wizards left the game 86-83 in favor of the Warriors going into the final frame. The Warriors came full force in the fourth, shooting 57.9 percent with four guys scoring five or more points.

D.C. did much of the same, shooting an even 50 percent. Paul had four points, including a pair of free throws to make it just a five-point game, 109-104 with 1:17 to go. However, as the Wizards couldn’t get those key final shots to fall, the Warriors held on behind a combined 5-of-5 free-throw shooting from Curry and Thompson.

NEXT UP

Paul and the Wiz (33-24) travel to Minnesota for a brutal second night of a doubleheader, as the Wizards take on the Timberwolves (12-43) halfway across the country a night after a grueling showdown with the Warriors.

This game will be especially meaningful for Paul and forward Kevin Garnett, was recently was traded back to his former squad in Minnesota. In between KG’s terms in Minnesota, he played with The Truth for the Boston Celtics and helped win a championship and appear in a second NBA Finals.

The clash will be Garnett’s first game back with the team that took him fifth overall in the 1995 draft, and it will mark the first time he’s worn a Timberwolves jersey in nearly eight years. There might not be a more fitting player for Garnett to go head-to-head with in this game than Paul Pierce, one of the big man’s best friends and one of the few who can understand what it means to be the face of a franchise.

The game will be played at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen locally on Comcast Sports Net.

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