NEW YORK -- The Washington Wizards did enough things wrong in the final minutes to derail an impressive night from their backcourt. The New York Knicks did enough things incorrectly early on to force themselves into another comeback attempt.

Eventually Washington staved off the comeback attempt as guards Bradley Beal and John Wall made big shots down the stretch of the Wizards' 111-108 victory, spoiling the debut of New York interim coach Kurt Rambis Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Beal scored seven of his 26 points during the final 12 minutes when the Wizards never allowed the Knicks to lead by more than one. Wall scored 15 of his 28 in the final quarter when Washington did not trail for the final 6:18.

It seemed Washington had the game in hand with about four minutes remaining. Beal knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:58 remaining and Wall connected on consecutive fadeaway jumpers before hitting a 3-pointer with 1:51 remaining for a 106-96 lead.

"I think with me, I took one bad shot and had a shot blocked, that's two times in a row," said Wall, who added 17 assists. "Luckily Brad took a charge that would have been a big turning point of the game. They made some shots. We went for steals at times when we shouldn't have."

Washington did not make another field goal the rest of the way and staggered to the finish, allowing New York to score 10 of the next 11 points to get within 107-106 on a 3-pointer by guard Langston Galloway. Galloway's basket might have given the Knicks the lead but with 44.3 seconds left, Beal drew a charge on guard Arron Afflalo.

"We weren't just locked in at the end of the game," Beal said. "At the end of the day a win's a win, we'll take it.

Even with Wall knocking down four free throws in the final seven seconds, the Wizards nearly allowed the Knicks to force overtime. Nobody touched Galloway but his deep 3-pointer was long at the buzzer and Washington (23-27) escaped with its third win in its last nine games.

"That is all on us," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "We have to at some point, stand up and close games. We did everything you could do wrong down the stretch. Instead of playing solid, we went for steals, we left open threes when that is all they need. It is a win. Trust me, I am happy. It is tough winning in this league."

Getting wins remained difficult for the Knicks (23-32), who lost their sixth straight and for the 10th time in 11 games.

New York lost despite 33 points from forward Carmelo Anthony, who expressed surprise at the firing of coach Derek Fisher but expressed support for team president Phil Jackson's plan.

The Knicks trailed by as many as 16, marking the ninth time during this skid they have trailed by at least double-digits at some point.

"We didn't get our defense organized," Rambis said. "We knew that was going to be a priority for going into the ballgame but it took us awhile to get our bearings."

The Knicks trailed by 14 after the first quarter and by 13 at halftime before forcing the game into an 83-83 tie entering the fourth. They were in position to win because rookie forward Kristaps Porzingis scored 14 of his 20 points in the third.

"It was embarrassing," New York guard Sasha Vujacic said. "We had a certain game plan. We knew how Washington plays and they had too many leak-outs. Our defensive balance was completely out of order."

New York took three one-point leads at 87-86, 89-88 and 92-91. After getting the final lead, Anthony and Porzingis combined to go 3-of-8 down the stretch.

Before the drawn-out final two minutes, Wall had 11 points as the Wizards sprinted to a 35-21 lead after the opening quarter and had a 63-50 edge at halftime.

"It was disappointing," Anthony said of the latest slow start by New York.

NOTES: New Knicks coach Kurt Rambis attributed the recent slip in play to selfishness and said he told the team "they must find a way to get into the playoffs." Asked about Rambis' comments about the postseason, New York F Carmelo Anthony said his new coach was spot on: "That should be our goal as a team. It was our goal and it should be our goal now." ... Washington G Gary Neal (sore right leg) sat out and missed his ninth game of the season. ... Wizards F/C Nene returned after missing two games with an injured left calf. ... Tuesday marked the 14th game the Knicks have played following an in-season coaching change. Before Tuesday, the most recent one was a 121-79 win over Portland on March 14, 2012, when Mike Woodson took over for Mike D'Antoni. ... New York F Kristaps Porzingis will head into the All-Star break with 105 blocked shots, two more than the previous team record by a rookie set by Patrick Ewing in 1985-86.