Wiz of Awes
Fansided

Washington Wizards fall short in Chicago, drop second straight, 115-106

By Collin Loring

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 15: Coby White #0 of the Chicago Bullsdrives against Troy Brown Jr. #6 of the Washington Wizards and puts up a shot at the United Center on January 15, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 15: Coby White #0 of the Chicago Bullsdrives against Troy Brown Jr. #6 of the Washington Wizards and puts up a shot at the United Center on January 15, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Wizards have now lost two straight games after their Wednesday night loss to the Chicago Bulls at United Center.

The Washington Wizards walked into Chicago on Wednesday with hopes of redeeming themselves from their recent loss to the Utah Jazz. They came up short–again.

Fans should’ve known it was going to be a long night when the Wizards announced their starting lineup: Isaiah Thomas, Gary Payton II, Bradley Beal, Thomas Bryant, and Ian Mahinmi. A five-man lineup tonight, that per Basketball Reference, has logged 0 minutes together.

Head coach Scott Brooks was likely making an attempt at getting Bryant back in the rotation. The loss against Chicago was just his second game back after missing 20 straight. But the lineup, to the surprise of few, didn’t work well at all.

Chicago came out slow in the first quarter, giving Washington the opportunity to pull ahead behind turnovers and poor shooting. The Bulls scored just 24 points in the first quarter.

But the Wizards weren’t sure what to do with the lead, even behind Beal’s 17 first-half points.

Washington closed the half 60-55, but let up an 8-0 run to Chicago to open the third.

Rookie point guard Coby White started getting every shot he wanted on the floor, inside and outside the three-point line. And to make things worse, he was making  those shots.

Then, after scoring just 13 in the first half Zach LaVine came to life, putting on more than just his typical dunking clinic. And the Chicago Bulls seemingly never looked back.

LaVine finished with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists on the night.

And despite Davis Bertans’ attempts to help the Wizards pull ahead, they ultimately fell in the 4th. His three straight shots from deep still make for a cool highlight though.

Washington has a lot to take away from this one. After Chicago lost Daniel Gafford, their second-string center, they still somehow failed to score the ball down in the post.

A lot of shots were forced from outside, especially from Bertans and Jordan McRae. Washington’s bench duo finished with 28 points, but on 10-28 shooting from the field.

Beal did miss a long stretch in the fourth quarter, time he took to ice up his shoulder. He was a probable game-time decision with right shoulder soreness, so it seems that it took a toll throughout the evening.

Next. Jordan McRae was great "health insurance", now what?. dark

He ultimately returned in the fourth quarter and finished with 23 points on the night. Beal’s now scored 58 points in his two-game return from injury. It will be interesting to see if he takes a rest game or presses on and plays in their next one.

Washington is now 5-16 on the road this season and will travel to Toronto on Friday, for a rematch with the 2019 reigning champions. Tip-off is at 7:00 pm est.

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