John Wall drives through the Grizzlies’ defense for a basket late in the fourth quarter. Wall finished with 25 points to share the team scoring lead with Otto Porter Jr. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

The video footage from the last matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies still keeps Coach Scott Brooks awake at night.

“That game-tying three,” Brooks said, referring to how his Washington Wizards lost an eight-point lead in the final quarter on Oct. 30 as Grizzlies center Marc Gasol hit a shot to send the game into overtime, “it made me not sleep very well last night.”

It was the second game of the season, and the overtime loss was part of the Wizards’ early-season swoon. More than two months later, Brooks would be able to rest a little easier after a 104-101 win that extended Washington’s winning streak at Verizon Center to 13 games.

The Wizards narrowly avoided turning this one into another of Brooks’s nightmares, surviving only after Memphis reserve James Ennis missed an open three-pointer that would have tied the game at the buzzer.

“No, actually not,” center Marcin Gortat replied when asked if this night played out similarly to the last heart-stopper in Memphis, “because Gasol didn’t make a three at the end. So it’s a good one.”

“Otto Porter is a heck of a player,” Memphis Coach David Fizdale said. “He is what the NBA has become. He is a Swiss army knife.” (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

John Wall coordinated the offensive effort with 25 points and 13 assists, and Otto Porter Jr. had 25 points and seven rebounds. Markieff Morris added 17 points and 12 rebounds.

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The second unit protected or even stretched leads. Defenders responded to the Grizzlies’ grit with their own clutch plays, and at the midpoint of the season, the Wizards (22-19) hardly resemble the team that stumbled through October and November. Morris claims that he saw this turnaround coming all along.

“Hell yeah,” Morris crowed. “It took us a little while, but we’re here now. We just want to keep getting wins and moving forward.”

Though the Wizards lost some luster in the second half, allowing Memphis to pull within 97-95 in the closing minute, they led from the start until the final buzzer. For the third straight game inside Verizon Center, the Wizards built a lead of at least of 19 points.

In the first quarter, Wall practiced charity in assisting on five of the team’s 10 field goals. Later, after Wall returned in the fourth quarter with the Wizards nursing an 87-81 lead, he turned sneaky — swiping the ball away from Gasol and racing downcourt to produce foul shots. After Memphis cut the lead to two, Wall got creative in scoring a pair of layups, again victimizing Gasol.

After Bradley Beal created a turnover on Memphis point guard Mike Conley, Wall attracted Gasol. He pulled the big man away from the rim before spinning and losing him while driving baseline with 1:45 remaining in the game. Wall collected his 24th double-double, most among Eastern Conference guards, and made all 10 of his free throw attempts.

While Wall played the closer, Porter started the game by making six of his first seven shots, including four straight from beyond the arc in the opening quarter. Porter was just as sharp when the Wizards needed him later in the game.

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After the midway point of the fourth quarter, Porter knocked down consecutive spot-up threes that extended Washington’s advantage back to double figures. Playing against the team he grew up following as a child, Porter connected on a career-best six three-pointers and was 9 of 12 from the floor.

“Otto Porter is a heck of a player,” Memphis Coach David Fizdale said. “He is what the NBA has become. He is a Swiss army knife . . . the more he makes his three the deadlier he becomes, but he does so much other stuff for them.”

Though the Wizards required the starters to secure the victory, they played with the lead thanks to their first-half efforts.

Washington’s bench inherited a six-point advantage in the second quarter, but less than four minutes later the unit more than doubled the lead. Jason Smith had a breakaway dunk, Kelly Oubre Jr. scored on a baseline drive while getting fouled, and Trey Burke pulled up for a short jump shot. The bench players combined for just 18 points, but their contributions were timely to run their streak to lucky No. 13.