Washington Wizards Three Takeaways: Wizards 86 the 76ers
By Evan O'Neill
Led by a defensive and offensive onslaught the Washington Wizards 86’d the Philadephia 76ers.
The Washington Wizards bounced back Sunday night against the Philadelphia 76ers after a blowout loss to the Hornets on Friday. They took it to Philly from the jump, finishing with a 109-94 win.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. The Wizards were up by as many as 23 in the third quarter, only to relax as we’ve seen too many times and almost let the Sixers storm back.
In the end, though, the Wizards pulled out a great win on the back of some phenomenal ball movement, more patented Bradley Beal step-backs, and yet another fantastic bench fit from John Wall.
Beal ended with 24 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds. Otto Porter finished with 23 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds. Kelly Oubre finished with 19 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds, and Tomas Satoransky had 7 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds.
The win ended Philly’s 7-game winning streak and pulled the Wizards within one game of the Cavaliers for third place in the East.
The Wizards are playing Hot-Potato Basketball
So many times tonight we got to see coach Scott Brooks’ offense at its best. The ball was skipping around the court like John Wall after no-look dime.
The Wizards finished the game with 35 assists, 22 of those coming in the first half.
If they keep moving the ball like this, the Wizards are one of the most dangerous teams in the league.
And this is in no way John Wall slander. I’m beyond excited for when the Wallstar returns and starts playing with this “team.” The rest of the squad has grown so much during his hiatus and gained so much confidence that once John Wall touches the floor again, they just might take off.
Defense (and Rebounding) wins Championships
The Wizards have proven they can score. They have knock down shooters and shot creators all over the floor at any moment in the game. The problems come on the defensive end.
The Wizards put up 30 in the first quarter. The Sixers put up 28. They can’t rely on shooting alone because some nights the shots just aren’t falling. Luckily, the Wizards upped their intensity after the first quarter, and really started laying the hammer.
But again the intensity let up at the end, and the Sixers nearly came all the way back. If the Wizards want sustained success, they have to learn to keep the same defensive intensity for 48 full minutes.
The Wizards actually out-rebounded the Sixers tonight 48-43, but that really wasn’t the story on the boards. Watching the game, it’s still evident that the Wizards have a rebounding problem, which comes with intensity as well. We grabbed a lot of freebies and Marcin Gortat had some classic volleyball taps, but Philly was clearly outworking us.
The Wizards were hitting shots at such a high rate that they didn’t have to rely on second chance points, but again, that won’t be the case every night. The only thing they can control is their work and hustle.
The Wizards Will Go as Far as Oubre and Satoransky Take Them
This isn’t to say that they’re the best players or the most important players. But we pretty much know what we’ll get from the rest of the team. Oubre and Satoransky can take the team to entirely new levels.
The Wizards now have two bench players that can easily carry the team while the stars are getting a rest. That’s invaluable to any team. But they don’t just hold on until the stars are ready, they come out and make a major impact, usually increasing or even creating a lead.
This kind of depth is exactly what this team has been missing, and exactly what will make this team an incredibly scary playoff matchup for anyone.
On Tuesday, the Wizards continue their homestand taking on the Milwaukee Bucks.