Washington Wizards Beat Lakers In Final Meeting Against Kobe
The Washington Wizards understood the desperate situation they currently face after dropping a terrible game on Friday to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With just 10 games left to play, Washington sat three games back of eighth placed Detroit, as the Wizards got ready for a West Coast swing that included stops in Los Angeles (twice), Golden State, and Sacramento.
On Sunday, the Wizards faced the Lakers in a game that featured Kobe Bryant’s last ever game against this team after 20 years of torturous results. Despite that preexisting knowledge of the bleak playoff picture, Washington came out flat and would’ve been run out of the gym if not for early heroics from John Wall.
Wall scored 12 straight midway through the first quarter to cut a double digit lead down to two, but the defensive struggles continued as Washington gave up five shots from deep including three to the aforementioned Wizard Killer Hall-of-Famer Bryant and trailed 27-24 to a team that features one of the few coaches in the NBA less competent than Randy Wittman.
The second quarter brought upon the monthly tradition of the next Bradley Beal injury.
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Beal crumpled to the ground after colliding with teammates and promptly headed to the locker room.
Beal eventually returned but the injury concerns need to be monitored nightly now and with his impending restricted free agency, each additional bump or bruise is a major warning sign.
Thankfully for Washington, they have one of a handful of players in the league who can put the team on his back in difficult times.
Wall’s return in the quarter sparked a huge run from Washington as he sliced and diced his way to the basket and the Wizards built a nine point lead at 43-34, ultimately ending the half up 50-44 with Wall posting 17 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds (but 6 ugly turnovers as well).
Bryant had 15 and D’Angelo Russell chipped in 12 for Los Angeles.
The Washington Wizards started pulling away in the 2nd half as Otto Porter and Nene started to get rolling. The Lakers cooled off after a hot start and eventually fell into an insurmountable 15 point deficit by the end of the third quarter.
Washington knew this game was of paramount importance and while Wall was the only one who recognized that fact at the tip, his teammates picked up the slack and put away L.A.
The fourth quarter featured more of the same from both sides as the Lakers tried to roll out the most historic scrub lineup in its history.
At one point, Ryan Kelly, Marcelo Huertas, Roy Hibbert and Larry Nance Jr. were all on the floor, which is pretty similar to the Magic-Worthy-Scott-Kareem lineups of the 80’s.
J.J. Hickson turned out to be the best player on the floor, Wall, who finished with 22 points and 12 assists to extend his double-double streak to nine, received some much needed rest in anticipation of Tuesday night’s tilt versus the Warriors.
The Lakers made things interesting late, especially when Nance almost killed Hickson on a dunk. They cut the lead, but once the starters checked back in, the Washington Wizards were able to secure the win, 101-88
A few other thoughts from a much needed and eventually well-played win:
• Given that this will be the first year in the last six seasons that Washington won’t improve its regular season win percentage, I wonder if the breaking point for Wall is finally near.
He’s the only player that gives a damn on a day-to-day basis and he must be getting frustrated watching his peers around the league flourishing in positive environments while he’s stuck wondering if Otto Porter is going to be awake for a particular game or not.
• Marcus Thornton is a gunner of epic proportions. When he arrives on to the floor, even Kobe Bryant is embarrassed by how much this dude puts up the rock.
In his seven games in a Wizards jersey, he leads the team in field goals attempted/36 minutes at 18.3 while averaging just 1.6 assists in that same measurement context. He also does not seem very interested in defense. Kelly Oubre, I’m sorry man – let’s hope the next coach has more respect for your game.
• Jared Dudley has been a shell of his former self since moving to the bench. Obviously his ridiculous shooting from deep wasn’t sustainable but he clearly has been hurt by not being the recipient of as many Wall passes as he once was.
I agree with the decision to move Morris into the starting lineup for a number of reasons but maybe Wittman can stagger lineups a little more to get Dudley some floor time with the starters.
• I can’t figure out Otto Porter’s defensive limitations. I can understand why he’d struggle against. bigger forwards like Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James, but he should have the length and requisite strength to guard most wings in the league.
The issue might be his lack of lateral foot speed, meaning he doesn’t often beat defenders to the spot.
Next: Why Missing The Playoffs Is Good For Washington
Washington is now just half a game behind the Chicago Bulls for the ninth spot. They will take on the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, so yeah…