On Friday, it was harder than it needed to be, but the Washington Wizards won their fourth straight game, with a 102-100 road victory over the hapless Memphis Grizzlies.
On Friday, It was harder than it needed to be but the Washington Wizards won their fourth straight game, with a 102-100 road victory over the hapless Memphis Grizzlies. In another game against a sub .500 opponent, the Wizards bucked an early season trend of losing these types of matchups, and turned in a solid performance for the three quarters.
The Wizards were led once again by the dynamic backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal. Beal poured in a game high 34 points, while Wall added 25 points while dishing out nine assists. The Wizards withstood a late fourth quarter rally from the Grizzlies led by Tyreke Evans, who had 26 points for the struggling Grizzlies.
Let’s get to the takeaways.
John Wall Looks All The Way Back
The early season knee injury that forced Wall to miss some time looks to be completely behind him. Wall, once again was in complete control of the game from the opening tip. He was everywhere on the court and showcased his elite athleticism a few different times.
First he was able to chase down Evans and deflect a ball out of bounds. Wall was moving so fast he couldn’t stop so before he ran into the patrons in the first row. So Wall hurdled them. Wall of course stuck the landing.
John Wall taking off. pic.twitter.com/ksrrxHxgJC
— ESPN (@espn) January 6, 2018
Later, Wall intercepted a pass intended for Marc Gasol and with no one near the rim, Wall threw down a massive windmill dunk. He was also sharp from deep connecting on his first three shot attempts. He finished 3-for-5 from 3-point range. The All-Star guard looked like the player we’re all accustomed to seeing and that bodes well for Washington.
This is easily one of John Wall's most incredible highlights - & he's had a few. Not sure if folks really appreciate a guy hurdling two rows of baseline seats & strolling back on the court like nothing happened pic.twitter.com/3lW0JdJ6fa
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 6, 2018
Markieff Morris Attacks the Glass
Earlier this season, I wrote about the importance of Markieff Morris and how valuable he is to the team. Mike Scott has been tremendous and played great ball, but Morris is so vital to the success of the Wizards.
Agasint the Grizzlies, Keef continued a trend of being very active on the glass. He grabbed 17 rebounds to go along with his 12 points. His activity on the glass was evident from the start of the contest. Morris takes a lot of pressure off Marcin Gortat when he helps attack the glass. His rebounding totals have increased since the Christmas Day game in Boston, and after not posting a double-double all season, Morris has done it in consecutive games.
Wizards Almost Blew It
The Wizards led by 17 late in the third quarter with the starters headed to the bench. It appeared they would be able to get some rest and cruise to an easy victory—especially since this was the first game of a back-to-back. However, the bench was unable to increase the lead and when the starters returned it got even scarier.
Washington made only two field goals the entire fourth quarter while being outscored 28-15. The offense was abysmal, taking quick shots and slowing the pace of the game down. Otto Porter left with a hip injury and the Grizzlies were able to load up on Wall and Beal defensively. The Wizards held on, but it shouldn’t have been that close.
The Wizards host the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.