Washington Wizards: Rapid Reactions to tonight’s loss against the Bulls
By Keith Cork
First quarter notes
The Washington Wizards controlled this game from the jump, dictating the pace and shutting down the Chicago Bulls. Both teams, however, were able to put in work from beyond the arc in this one shooting a hot 50 percent on both sides in the first half of the quarter.
Another Ian Mahinmi start made me roll my eyes immediately, and as predicted he got bullied under the basket almost immediately by a rookie and missed a gimme from would-be Point Bonga.
But luckily Bradley Beal came to play. In the first quarter, he put up 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting and looked head and shoulders above the rest of the competition to start.
Rui Hachimura managed to put up some impressive baskets early and Washington Wizards fans need to be excited about this young man, as he pressed the issue in transition and made smart choices left and right. Even if he’s not going to put up 20 points per game, his decision-making on the offensive end and within the flow of the game is a net positive for this young Washington Wizards squad.
Hachimura is still missing three’s though, but we shouldn’t be too concerned just yet. It can only get better. He finished 0-for-1 from beyond the arc.
Zach LaVine had a terrible start to this game and continued his miserable basketball play from his previous game where he put up seven turnovers last night against the Phoenix Suns.
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Thaddeus Young decided it was showtime on the Bulls though and showcased some phenomenal shooting for a guy not necessarily known for stepping out beyond the arc. At one point, he was three-for-three from behind the line.
When Coby White came into the game, he tried to put his stamp all over this one from the moment he set foot on the floor, but Rui Hachimura answered immediately and it was a fun sequence to watch. Perhaps we’re seeing two future all-stars here, a few years down the road.
Keeping Coby White in check was definitely a key to the game, and the Wizards didn’t do a terrible job of it when he first came into this one, throwing some different looks his way and not letting him get wide open looks. But he’s a gifted scorer and still put up 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting in this first quarter, despite the Wizards’ best efforts.
The Wizards went ice-cold towards the end of the quarter when Bradley Beal came out, and they’ll have to find ways to score with their star off the floor if they want to win these games. But they stayed aggressive and shot 9 free throws compared to just 3 for the Bulls which kept them in this game.