Satoransky scores career-high 25 points in Chicago, Wizards win 101-90

Tomas Satoransky led the Washington Wizards to a 101-90 win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. He led all scorers with a career-high 25 points.

Down two starters, the Washington Wizards (32-24) relied on their role players to fuel the team to a 101-90 victory over the Bulls in Chicago on Saturday night.

Starting power forward Markieff Morris was a late scratch due to flu-like symptoms. Meanwhile, All-Star guard John Wall missed his eighth-straight game as he recovers from another knee operation.

Backup guard Tomas Satoransky had a career night, despite reports linking the Wizards to recently available combo guard Derrick Rose to fill in while Wall recovers. Satoransky scored 25 points and added six assists with two steals. Otto Porter Jr. slid to the four spot in place of Keef and had another solid game finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds. Veteran forward Mike Scott took advantage of increased minutes, adding 14 points off the bench. All-Star guard Bradley Beal had just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting.

After trailing, 2-0, Washington went on a 9-0 run and never looked back, winning their second meeting of the year against the scrappy young Bulls.

Here’s the takeaways from the win that snapped a two-game losing streak.

Sato Saves The Day

The Wizards didn’t shoot well enough on the road to beat most teams. They shot 46 percent from the field and 34 percent from deep. Satoransky shot the Bulls out of the game from the start. He was the best player on the floor for most of the game, playing with intensity and passion from the opening tip and ended the first quarter with 11 points and two steals.

Coach Scott Brooks praised Satoransky for his key contributions.

“Tomas was on fire, played a great game, made a lot of plays for us,” Brooks said after the game.

The second-year guard from the Czech Republic has improved his shooting this season and the Wizards needed his efficiency in a game where both teams struggled to sink shots. He was 10 of 12 from the floor and went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Satoransky’s three-pointer with 3:26 to go in the fourth quarter gave Washington a double-digit lead and sealed the win.

Ball Movement Breeds Success

Satoransky’s six assists tied Beal for the team-high and it was their willingness to pass early and often that set the tone. Beal, especially, passed more often than usual as Chicago looked to make someone else beat them as they blitzed him on every ball screen. The result was spectacular ball movement, as Washington consistently executed the extra pass and found open teammates.

All the starters finished with at least three assists, and the team ended the game with 31 in total. During the recent stretch without Wall, Washington now has had four games with 30 or more assists. They’re 6-1 in that span when they collect 25 assists or more.

As injuries continue to plague the team, this level of elite passing will be the formula for success.

Injuries Continue to be a Problem

The injury bug has been a consistent theme for Washington this year and it doesn’t look to go away anytime soon. Despite the win Saturday, the Wizards suffered two scary injuries to a position they can ill afford with Wall out.

Both backup point guards sustained head injuries that knocked them out of the game. Tim Frazier collided with Bobby Portis’ knee in the first half and couldn’t return because of what was diagnosed as a ‘nasal fracture.’

Portis struck again in the closing minutes of the game as he abruptly knocked a soaring Satoransky out of the air while going for an exclamation-mark jam.

https://twitter.com/NBCSWizards/status/962548551623458816

Thanks to social media, there was a quick update on their status not too long after the game.

Frazier tweeted:

Satoranksy also took to Twitter:

We’ll keep you posted on their status throughout the next few days as the Wizards don’t play until Wednesday at the New York Knicks, then look forward to the All-Star break for much-needed rest.