The Washington Wizards fell to 5-5 on the year after a disappointing loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, 113-99. It is the third-straight home loss by the Wizards to a team under .500.
Coming off a big road win in Toronto on Sunday, the Washington Wizards returned home Tuesday night to take on the Dallas Mavericks. Despite a fourth quarter surge that brought them back to within two, the Wizards fell to the Mavericks 113-99. Washington never led at any point in the game.
The Wizards drop to .500 on the year after allowing Dallas to win their first road game of the season. It’s also the third-straight loss to a sub-.500 team at home for the Wizards. Harrison Barnes led all scorers with 31 points.
Harrison Barnes asked if he was surprised with the #Wizards
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) November 8, 2017
defensive strategy against him:
“I guess they didn’t think I was a good iso-scorer. I had to make them pay.”
Coming off the bench, the Mavericks’ Salah Mejri pulled in 12 rebounds to lead both teams.
John Wall returned to the floor and showed no ill-effects from a shoulder injury that kept him out of Sunday’s contest. Despite hitting the floor very hard, numerous times, Wall finished with 23 points, 14 assists, and went 13-18 from the free throw line. His defense, however, proved highly suspect. Dallas ball handlers drove to the basket with ease much of the night against Wall.
Bradley Beal put in a quiet 23 points on 8-20 shooting. NBC Sports’ Chris Miller reported that Beal was feeling ill before the game. He still logged 37 minutes and put in a solid offensive performance. Beal has now scored 137 points over his last four games.
Jason Smith deserves more minutes
Wizards’ Coach Scott Brooks went with Ian Mahinmi on the second unit. In six minutes, Mahinmi recorded one rebound, one turnover, and one foul. He was set to return to replace Marcin Gortat late in the third quarter until Brooks made the switch for Jason Smith.
The stat line won’t show it, but Smith changed the entire tempo of the game. In 10 minutes, Smith put in 2 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and recorded 2 amazing blocks.
Immediately after the game, Scott Brooks stated, “I need to figure out how to play more.” Yes, he is a defensive liability, but his ability to spread the floor and score outweighs what Mahinmi brings to the court.
Coach Brooks has a second unit lineup that could work
The Mavericks’ bench outscored the Wizards’ second unit 21-8 in the first half. Nerlens Noel easily dominated the interior as the first half came to a close. Yes, you read that correctly.
Brooks may have found a second unit that works, though. The fourth quarter started with Tim Frazier, Jodie Meeks, Jason Smith, Kelly Oubre, and Otto Porter on the floor. This lineup went on a 12-0 run and brought the Wizards back to within 2 mid-way through the fourth.
With this lineup, the offense flowed through Porter. He stepped up to the challenge. It is not a lineup that can routinely bring the Wizards back from the dead, but should be able to hold any lead they are given.
Dismal rebounding efforts closed the door
The Mavericks came into Capital One Arena with the worst rebounding rate in the NBA. They out-rebounded the Wizards 53-39. Tim Frazier and Kelly Oubre led the Wizards with seven boards each. Meanwhile, Gortat and Markieff Morris combined for eight.
The entire rebounding effort can be summed up in one instance….
After all the media talk and confidence throughout the Wizards’ locker room, tonight’s performance was very flat. It also leads to a lot of head-scratching. How can a team go into Toronto without their best player and win, but lose to a 1-10 Mavericks team at home? At 5-5, they are three games better than last season at this point. An identity must still be found, soon.
The Wizards return to the floor on Thursday against the Los Angeles Lakers.