4 Takeaways from the Washington Wizards 119-118 win over the Dallas Mavericks
By Ethan Smith
A new face joined the Washington Wizards for the first game after the trade deadline.
When the Washington Wizards took the floor against the Dallas Mavericks, it was their first game in four days. The Wizards had a strange three-day stretch without any action, a stretch that coincided perfectly with the trade deadline craziness.
But just because the WIzrads were off the court, doesn’t mean there wasn’t any movement at the deadline. The Wizards made two marginal deals in the final hour of the trade window. First, they sent Jordan McRae t the Denver Nuggets for Shabazz Napier. Shortly after that, they traded Isaiah Thomas to the LA Clippers and received Jerome Robinson.
The Dallas game was our first look at the post-deadline Wizards. Not as much change as we saw during last year’s deadline when Otto Porter was shipped out and Jabari Parker and Bobby Portis took over for a few months. But both of these moves will impact this team’s identity over the final few months of the season. And beyond.
And if the game against Dallas, a nail-biting 119-118 win over the Luka Doncic-less Mavs, was any indicator, these guys are going to be ultra-competitive and even more fun down the stretch.
Here are three takeaways from the Wizards win over the Mavericks…