February 22, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards center Nene (42) attempts to dunk the ball as Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee (34) defends in the second quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Recap:

The Washington Wizards emerged triumphant in a 119-113 victory over the Denver Nuggets. After outscoring the Nuggets by 16 in the third quarter, the Wizards had to endure a 4^th quarter comeback and another Bradley Beal injury scare before finally putting the game away with John Wall Jumper.

Bullets Points:

• First the good: It was a balanced offensive effort, with seven Wizards and all five of the starters scoring double digits. They were also efficient, shooting 47.7% from the field and 45.8% (!) from three.
• Next the bad: The Wizards did not look like a top 10 defense in the league tonight. The Nuggets shot 48.1% from the field, which would usually have been enough if they had not played utterly terrible defense. The Wizards saving grace was that the Nuggets went just 4-22 (18.2%) from behind the arc.
• The inconsistency that John Wall showed this game almost seemed like a microcosm of his entire career. He racked up the assists, but had quite a few costly fourth quarter turnovers that allowed the Nuggets to get as close as they did. He had three blocks, but was torched by Ty Lawson much of the game. But give credit where credit is due: on a final possession where the Wizards needed a score, John Wall drained a crucial jump shot. Maybe we are seeing progress right before our very eyes.
• Beal played a very good game, scoring 17 points on 8 shots, but two things stuck out to me. First, he had 12 rebounds, which is incredibly unusual for a 6’ 3” guard. I think that while Beal obviously isn’t going to be able to put up that many rebounds every game, if a team isn’t bringing any energy on the boards, his natural rebounding skill means he’s probably going to get more than most players from his position usually would. The second stat that stood out to me was he got to the free throw line 11 times. Even during Beal’s best month (January), he was only averaging 2.5 free throws a game. I’ll have to go back and see what he did differently to be so successful at drawing fouls.
• The Nene and Okafor absolutely destroyed Faried, Koufos, and McGee. Just straight up ethered.
• Trevor Booker played more minutes than Kevin Seraphin tonight. With Crawford gone, someone new might have just moved to the dog house.
• In one of my favorite basketball books, “Basketball on Paper” by Dean Oliver, Oliver remarks that the best indicator of the growth of a young basketball team is the starting to win close games that they previously had been losing. Hopefully, that’s what’s going on with the Wizards right now.
• Tip of my hat to: Ty Lawson, who destroyed the Wizards all night, Andre Miller, who showed off his old man swag all the way to 19 points and seven assists, and JaVale McGee, who for all his faults remains an incredibly fun player to watch.

January 18, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) drives to the basket during the first half against the Washington Wizards at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Wizards exploded in the second half for 67 points and rode Kevin Seraphin to victory. Seraphin continued to drain hook shots with ease and really asserted himself in the fourth quarter. John Wall was at times sloppy, but finished with 14-12-4 in 26 minutes. The Wizards are now 4-1 since Wall’s return, and have been playing much improved ball. The upgrade from the backup point guard to Wall is probably worth two points a game and it shows.

Let’s get to the Bullets Points:

• Nene came out forcing the issue tonight, clearly trying to let Denver fans know they received the worst end of the deal for JaVale (they did). He forced it a bit too much, unfortunately, not hitting a shot until his fourth attempt.
• The Nene-JaVale grudge match we all wanted never materialized. Nene logged seven points and four boards while JaVale countered with four points and rebounds. The two combine for $23 million in salary this season.
• It seems pertinent to point out that Jan Vesely played his entire rookie season with JaVale the shot-blocking phenom and STILL tried a lazy hook over him in the first quarter. JaVale swatted it into the third row, obviously.
• A few plays later, Vesely was ended at the rim by Wilson Chandler. So much for the European Blake Griffin.
• John Wall made a jump shot. AND AGAIN IN THE FOURTH! I’d prefer a Bullets Point that read: “John Wall didn’t take a jumper all game”, but I’ll settle for pointing out when he drains a few.
• Wall also had four turnovers in the first half. Not all were his fault, especially one where Kevin Seraphin decided he just didn’t want to extend his arms to grab a pass on a pick and pop.
• In the first half, the Wizards left one of Denver’s few good three-point shooters, Corey Brewer, open from three multiple times. On one of his misses, a Wizard closed off of Brewer to prevent an ANDRE IGUODALA three. Let Iggy clank it next time.
• In total, Wall badly telegraphed his passes tonight. He had multiple passes picked off where the defender looked like he was hoping and praying the pass would be thrown. I chalk this up as rust and the best bench he has faced. Wall has put up good numbers but mostly against reserves; Denver doesn’t really have a “reserve” squad.
• Trevor Ariza hit a bunch of awful shots tonight. He’s still poorly selecting his shots, which is not comforting. At what point does Ariza’s play equal whatever got Chris Singleton in the dog house? There’s no way Ariza has been better than Singleton, who did not play tonight.
• In case anyone was wondering, JaVale McGee still doesn’t quite get the sport of basketball. He is still clueless and did not finish the game for the Nuggets, although he has been closing games all year long.
• Kevin Seraphin must have hit six hook shots tonight. He continues to show that he has a transcendent hook, yet he insists on shooting mid-range jump shots. Head Coach Randy Wittman has no control over where shots are taken. I wonder if the Wizards employ any statistical analysts…
• Ty Lawson played a little bit of anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better with Beal and Wall throughout the night. He traded threes with Beal and, in crunch time, traded layups with Wall. Wall got the last laugh, however, blocking Ty Lawson’s game-tying layup attempt.
• Bradley Beal had another awesome game, hitting four of his seven threes and logging his third best overall shooting game of the year (8-13). Beal has been the best rookie in the league since the middle of December and I even joked on Twitter that Confident Beal should have his own basketball-reference page since he is an entirely different player when he’s feeling good about his game.
• Tonight’s box

Jan 20, 2012; Washington , DC, USA; Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson (3) is defended by Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) and guard Nick Young (1) during the second half at the Verizon Center. The Nuggets defeated the Wizards 108 – 104. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

After losing in heartbreaking fashion in Sacramento, the Washington Wizards will continue their West Coast road trip tonight against the Denver Nuggets. Sporting only one road victory on the season, it doesn’t get any easier tonight, as the Nuggets have only lost 2 games at the Pepsi Center.

Key Match Up

John Wall had his first double double of the season against Sacramento, scoring 14 points and dishing out 10 assists. Above all, he looked aggressive and got guys involved every chance he got. His unselfishness has really started to rub off on the rest of the group. John Wall repeatedly found Bradley Beal, who hit six out of seven threes on Wednesday night, wide open at the three point arc. Wall’s confidence and swagger was much needed at this difficult time in Washington. Despite his two missed free throws which could’ve won Washington the game in Sacramento, Wall has looked very good in his return.

In my opinion, John Wall is the fastest player in the NBA. The only player I could think of which may be quicker than Wall, is Denver Nuggets guard, Ty Lawson. At 5’11, Ty Lawson’s lack of height is made up with his unique ability to use his speed and quickness. Lawson has a reputation of being a scorer, but he has averaged a career high 6.8 assists per game this season. With Danilo Gallinari and Andre Iguodala both on the floor, Lawson does have a few adequate passing options. It also doesn’t hurt having Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee run the floor in transition. As a result, the Denver Nuggets are a top 5 team in terms of pace.

Other Links/Notes

• I guess Ted Leonsis felt the need to point out how great of a draft pick Bradley Beal was in his recent blog. I think it’s ridiculous that he’s basically taking accountability for that pick, when absolutely no one doubted that selection. I would like to see him take accountability on the Vesely selection, instead.
• Check out this video of Nene returning to the Pepsi Center. It’s great to see him still sporting that signature smile. I think it’s safe to say that Nene is the polar opposite of our old pal, JaVale McGee.
• Former Wizard, Shelvin Mack, is getting another shot on a NBA roster. This time, with the Philadelphia 76ers.
• Bradley Beal has been awesome as of late. Jake Whitacre of BulletsForever, took a look at Beal’s recent success.
• NBA All-Star Starters were announced last night. 
• Nuggets head coach, George Karl, wants McGee to be more like Tim Duncan. I can’t lie, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day.

Prediction

This is the first time both JaVale McGee and Nene will have a shot a beating their former team since their departure. When asked about his thoughts on returning to Denver, Nene said;

Definitely going to be emotion. Play here almost 10 years. For sure,” said Nene, who averaged 12.4 points and 6.9 rebounds in 9¹ / ₂ years with the Nuggets. I’m going to try to have fun, enjoy the game and play hard

After signing a large contract, Nene expected to finish his career on a perennial playoff team. Needless to say, his whole career and life changed when he was traded to the struggling Wizards for JaVale McGee. As for McGee, he was due for a contract extension. I think it’s safe to say that McGee didn’t deserve the type of contract he was going to get, and it consequently landed him in Denver. Washington is known for making terrible, lopsided trades, but I don’t think this one falls into that category. Unlike McGee, Nene is an established center, who is one of the most classy guys in the league. Nene helped turn the same culture around in D.C, in which JaVale McGee helped build into ‘Clown City’.

Despite their lack of a superstar, the Denver Nuggets are an exceptional basketball team. With Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, and Andre Iguodala leading the crew, the Nuggets are ranked fifth in points per game. Their athletic duo of JaVale McGee and Kenneth Faried have propelled them to the second best rebounding team in the league. The Wizards on the other hand, don’t stand out in virtually any category.

With that said, it’ll be very tough to beat a Nuggets team who do a very good job at winning games at home. The Wizards are the worst road team in the NBA, but they do have some advantages. Washington does present a bit of a challenge in the low post, as Nene will surely have his way with any of the Nuggets big men. I realize that George Karl and the rest of the Nuggets coaching staff is well prepared for Nene, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can stop him. With Bradley Beal coming off his best game of his young career on Wednesday, he’ll look to continue his recent success against Denver.

At this point, it’s about more than just wins and losses. It’s about watching the progression and connection between John Wall and Bradley Beal. It’s about seeing how well the Wizards can develop on both ends of the floor. Are they progressing every night? Are they competing? Those are the types of things, as Wizards fans, we look out for.

In my opinion, the only realistic shot Washington had of picking up a road win on this West Coast trip was against Sacramento.

I think they’ll fight, but end up losing in very familiar fashion.