Warriors’ offense surges in win vs. the Wizards

WASHINGTON — The Warriors haven’t gotten many breaks this season, but the schedule has provided an opportunity to give a laboring offense a much-needed boost.

Against the league’s worst rated defense, the Warriors turned in one of their most impressive scoring campaigns of the season, beating the Wizards 125-117 Monday night at Capital One Arena.

Without guard D’Angelo Russell (right quad contusion), the Warriors (12-39) used a balanced scoring attack as six players scored in double digits and prodded a soft Washington defense for open 3-pointers, shooting 48.3% from beyond the arc and assisted on 31 of their 43 made field goals.

Having played their last two games against teams with the two worst defensive ratings in the league, Golden State recorded at least 30 assists in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

On the heels of Saturday’s 131112 win over the Cavaliers, the Warriors’ offense got rolling early, scoring 40 points in the opening quarter and 72 points in the first half.

Forward Glenn Robinson III’s 19-foot jumper, assisted by forward Draymond Green, opened up a 19-point lead, their biggest lead of the game, midway through the third quarter.

At the end of the quarter, center Kevon Looney, in his second game back from an abdominal strain that sidelined him 18straight games, shut down Wizards guard Bradley Beal to ensure Golden State headed into the final period with a 99-86 lead.

With the Warriors leading comfortably by 12, injured guard Stephen Curry (left hand surgery) took a seat on the bench midway through the fourth quarter. During a break, he bounced in his buttoned-up blazer as The Sugarhill Gang’s “Apache (Jump On It)” played from the arena’s sound system.

However, it was the Wizards (17-32) who got the jump on the Warriors in the final period. Beal’s 3-pointer cut the Warriors’ lead to five with 4:23 remaining, as he went on to score 15 of his 43 points in the fourth.

But Burks and Robinson combined to score 11 points in the final 4:05 to halt the Wizards’ comeback and help the Warriors to their second-straight win before they head to Brooklyn to play the Nets on Wednesday.

Burks paced the Warriors with 30 points on 9-for-17 shooting (5for-10 from 3-point range), while Robinson had 22 points on 8-for13 shooting (2-for-4 from 3-point range), six rebounds and seven assists.

Guard Damion Lee chipped in 19 points and rookie forward Eric Paschall added 14, while Green had 12 and center Marquese Chriss had 13.

For the Wizards, Beal finished with 43 points on 15-for-30 shooting (3-for-7 from 3-point range, 10for-10 from the line) and six assists. Forward Davis Bertans went for 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting (5-for-7 from 3-point range), four rebounds and five assists.

Though the Warriors are enjoying an offensive renaissance, of sorts, Russell will be missed if he’s out for a prolonged period of time as the team considers him day-to-day.

For an offense with some momentum, Brooklyn will also present a more challenging defense. On Wednesday, the Warriors will find out if something has clicked on that end, or if the last two games were just a scheduled anomaly.