Washington Wizards Three Takeaways: Otto Porter’s clutch, knocking down Timberwolves

The Washington Wizards secured a big win Tuesday night, 92-89, over the Minnesota Timberwolves. A clutch fourth quarter performance by Otto Porter, Jr. sealed the victory, as the Wizards’ bench turned in a magnificent performance.

On Tuesday, the Washington Wizards traveled to Minnesota looking to end their two game losing streak. Thanks to an unbelievable overall performance by the Wizards’ bench, and a clutch fourth quarter performance by Otto Porter, Jr. the Wizards defeated the Timberwolves, 92-89. Washington is now 11-9 on the year.

Other than Porter, the starting lineup for the Wizards was essentially non-existent on the floor. Washington opened the contest by shooting a dismal 4-15 from the field. The first sign of life came when the second unit entered the game. Three-point buckets from Jodie Meeks at the first quarter buzzer, and again to open up the second quarter, cut the early double-digit Minnesota lead down to four.

Without John Wall on the court, attention has turned to backup point guard Tim Frazier to lead the offense. After a season high 11 points in 28 minutes against the Trail Blazers, Frazier ended the night with just two points and four assists. He did not see the floor in the fourth quarter.

Let’s get back to the positives and take a look at the biggest takeaways from this game.

Otto Porter continues to emerge as a playmaker

Otto Porter played an absolutely beautiful game. Porter went  8-18 from the field, 4-8 from three-point land, and 2-2 from the line.

It’s obvious that Porter is continuing to progress into a complete playmaker. His ability to run the pick-and-roll with Marcin Gortat, led to a few good early looks, as he attempted to establish his presence inside. It was his ability to knock down perimeter shots in key moments, that halted Minnesota’s runs, and kept the Wizards close throughout the second half.

Coming into this game, Porter had taken only three late-game clutch shots. Tied at 87 with under a minute remaining, Porter made a layup and a 22-foot jumper within a 30-second timespan to seal the game.

Before tonight, the Wizards were 0-11 from the floor in the final minute of a game, when tied or down by one possession. It’s about time Coach Brooks put his trust in Porter with the game on the line.

With Wall sidelined, Wizards need more athleticism in the starting lineup

How many more games will Markieff Morris get a pass after returning from hernia surgery? He’s appeared in 13 games now and the minutes restriction has been lifted. Morris’ night began with two early attempts from the top of the key that rimmed out. The night didn’t improve from there.

Morris ended the night with only two points (combined 1-9 shooting) and four rebounds to go with three turnovers. His final plus/minus was -19.

The game shifted completely once Kelly Oubre checked in to the game. Oubre played a well-balanced game, knocking down 14 points with two rebounds, two steals, two assists, and a block.

The combination of Oubre and Otto Porter have combined for a +22.5 rating, while Porter and Morris are a combined +1.2. With Wall sidelined for at least another week and a half, Scott Brooks should consider a smaller lineup on the court, starting with Oubre.

The bench dominated all night long

The Wizards’ bench stepped up tonight and outscored Minnesota’s bench, 49-11. Mike Scott and Jodie Meeks each knocked down 12 points. Meeks also had 4 shots from 3-point range. 

Tomas Satoransky did a very good job, with 7 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, with his aggressive style of play. 

https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/935712754534682626

A 16-2 run in the first half, led by an all-bench lineup, was exactly what the Wizards needed to put them in a position to win the game. The bench played so well that Frazier, Gortat, and Morris all remained on the sideline the entire fourth quarter.

There still remains the issue of who deserves to get the majority of the minutes. Ian Mahinmi contributed eight rebounds, tied with Porter for the team lead. Unfortunately, he finished with four fouls, bringing his season total to 61 (58 total points scored). Meanwhile, Jason Smith was nowhere to be seen all night.

In what can only be described as a rare off night, Bradley Beal struggled mightily. In 34 minutes, Beal scored just eight points, going 2-11 from the field. However, he had 6 assists. Write it off and move on Wizards’ fans, Beal will be just fine.

The Wizards travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday to take on the 76ers.