Washington Wizards Three Takeaways: Wizards Outlast Indiana Pacers Down the Stretch
By Ben Mehic
Washington Wizards continued their dominance in the nation’s capital on Friday night, completing a comeback against the Indiana Pacers.
“There’s the Cleveland Cavaliers, then there’s everybody else.”
That trending thought is accurate. As long as LeBron James is in Cleveland, the Cavaliers will remain the best team in the Eastern Conference. But the gap is closing.
The tier below Cleveland is ambiguous. On paper, the Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics match up well against each other and none of the mentioned teams are clearly better than the competition.
Washington, though, is quickly beginning to rise above the rest.
On Friday night against the Indiana Pacers, who have three less wins than Washington, the Wizards returned home after squandering a 17-game winning streak in the Verizon Center to Cleveland.
Instead of hanging their heads, the Wizards completed a comeback on national television, securing their 32nd win of the season, 112-107.
The front court has arrived – and needs a nickname
Marcin Gortat walks around the Verizon Center hallways looking for conversations. To the media, he’s known for his one-liners and open personality. Markieff Morris is quite the opposite.
He’s quiet, rarely cracks a smile in front of the camera and generally carries himself with intensity.
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Off the court, it’s difficult to see how the two big men would get along. But on the court, their skill-sets mesh perfectly, making them one of the most underrated front court duos in the NBA.
Gortat’s pick-and-roll tendencies coupled with Morris’ ability to stretch the floor has changed the way Scott Brooks runs the Washington Wizards’ offense.
Against the Pacers, Gortat led the team with 14 points and 16 rebounds.
Morris scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also made three of his 3-point attempts, including a dagger late in the game to seal the win for Washington.
After the game, Gortat suggested that him and Morris – both of whom arrived to the Wizards in separate trades involving the Phoenix Suns – were the “Phoenix Outlaws.”
Morris didn’t approve the nickname.
For all of the criticism Ernie Grunfeld gets, he deserves some credit for putting together a front court that plays well together. Both players have obviously benefited from playing next to John Wall, but the two have chemistry that most front courts don’t.
Seraphin gets his revenge
For years, it seemed like Kevin Seraphin would eventually replace Nene as the Washington Wizards’ best big man.
Since the Wizards let him walk in free agency two seasons ago, Seraphin has had a difficult time cracking a rotation and earning a permanent spot on a team.
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He did get his revenge against D.C. on Friday, though.
Seraphin scored 16 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench. Ian Mahinmi, in his third game this season, didn’t score and grabbed 3 rebounds in 13 minutes.
Ironically, after letting him walk, the Wizards could use Seraphin’s services.
Wall and Co. greeted him after the final buzzer, congratulating him on the performance.
Washington’s bench needs help – ASAP
The trade deadline is just a few weeks away and the Washington Wizards need to bolster their bench.
Washington’s bench scored a combined 18 points against the Pacers.
When the bench checked into the game, the Pacers immediately gained momentum.
Trey Burke has shown flashes of potential this season, but struggled mightily. He scored 7 points on 9 shot attempts and the Wizards’ offense remained unreliable. Tomas Satoransky, who’s known for his passing, appeared hesitant. Kelly Oubre scored 1 point in 21 minutes.
The sample size is large enough. Washington’s starters are carrying a heavy load and need help desperately. If one of the starters misses time with an injury, Washington would see their record seriously suffer.
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Washington will continue their homestand on Monday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder – another nationally televised game.