Washington Wizards Weekly Recap: 12/18

Missed out on this past week’s Washington Wizards coverage? We have you covered with the Wizards Weekly Recap.

Catch up on last week’s Washington Wizards news and scores with this week’s Wizards Weekly Recap.

How they fared this past week:

Lost to the Charlotte Hornets 114-107

This game became a battle between Most Improved candidates Davis Bertans and Devonte Graham. Bertans scored a career high 32 points and hit eight threes while Graham led his team in scoring with 29 points. In the end, the Hornets made enough stops to eek out a win.

Lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 128-11

Former Gonzaga teammates and first round picks Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke squared off. Clarke was an unstable force as he scored 25 points on 11/14 shooting. Hachimira struggled as he scored 10 points on 4/10 shooting. Rookie of the Year front runner Ja Morant filled the stat sheet as he scored 18 points, with four rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. Memphis was able to take advantage of the Wizards porous defense to win.

Defeated the Detroit Pistons 133-119

Blake Griffin was out with an injury and the Wizards took advantage of his absence. Washington jumped out to a furious start as they shot 81% from the field and scored 43 points. Bradley Beal helped the team snap a four game losing streak as he led the team with 35 points. Isaiah Thomas added 23 points in his first game back from injury.

Upcoming Washington Wizards match ups:

Wednesday, December 18 Vs. Chicago Bulls

Tomas Satoransky will make his return to D.C. after leaving in the off-season. Otto Porter Jr. is out with an injury and will miss this contest. A big question after the departure of Satoransky was how would the Wizards replace his production mostly when it came to assisting. Ish Smith and IT have taken over nicely in that department.

Friday, December 20 @ Toronto Raptors

The reigning NBA champs host the Wizards in what might amount to a blow out. Pascal Siakam who is turning into a star, leads the team in scoring as he is averaging 25 points a game. If the Wizards wont be able to stop Siakam, they will be in for a long night.

Saturday, December 21 @ Philadelphia 76’ers

Philadelphia will look to avenge their loss from few weeks back when the Wizards forced Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to combine for 15 turnovers. With Thomas Bryant out, the 76er’s should have an easy job winning the rebounding battle. It will be up to rookie Hachimura to step up on the boards or his team won’t have a chance.

Monday, December 23 @ New York Knicks

Washington heads to the big apple for a battle of lottery teams. While Bobby Portis will be facing off against his former team, all eyes will be on RJ Barrett and Rui Hachimura. So far they are two of the top rookies in their class and they will be center stage. This game will give Wizards fans an idea of how Hachimura is stacking up against his draft class.

Davis Bertans trade stock is soaring

The Wizards have given Bertans the largest role he’s had in his career and he is responding in kind. The Latvian Laser is averaging 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, while shooting 46.9% from the field, 45.7% from deep, and 87.2% from the line. He is seventh in the league in three point percentage and as of December 16, had made the fourth most threes.

Teams have taken notice of his sharpshooting and are interested in signing him in the off-season. According to his agent Arturs Kalnitis, “This will be an interesting summer for Davis as many teams are high on him,”.  “Every team needs players like him to win a championship.” Bertans would be a great fit alongside John Wall when he returns from injury next season.

And while the Wizards want to re-sign him, he might have priced himself out of Washington. A report came out where Bertans was predicted to sign a new contract worth 15-20 million a year. The Wizards may pass on spending that much on the sharpshooter and if that is the case, they may end up trading him. His trade stock is soaring and the Wizards can get at minimum a first-round pick and more. Now it will hurt to see one of the best shooters Washington has ever had leave, but if they can maximize on his talent, they may have to jump.