Washington Wizards: Fourth-quarter struggles doom Wizards (again) in 121-101 loss to San Antonio Spurs

The Washington Wizards need to figure out what they’re doing at the end of games. Right now, all they’re doing is losing.

Washington Wizards basketball is back…to losing. After having six games postponed and a 13-day layoff, the Wizards finally returned to the court vs. the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night. Unfortunately, it ended with another one of those frustrating losses that Wizards fans are all too familiar with this season.

Despite being without Rui Hachimura, Davis Bertans, Deni Avdija, and a long list of other Wizards, the available players got off to a hot start. Through the first two quarters, the Wizards kept things relatively close; they trailed the Spurs by one at halftime, 48-47. Then, things started to fall apart. By the end of the game, the Wizards had lost (again), 121-101.

The Washington Wizards can’t close games. That needs to change.

This type of fourth-quarter fading is becoming far too common for the Washington Wizards this early in the season. Through 12 games, the Wizards have a fourth-quarter point differential of -44. In total, they’ve been outscored by 44 points in the final frame this season.

It doesn’t seem to matter if the Wizards are winning or losing, either. They’re still getting beat in the fourth. In their three wins, the Wizards were outscored by a total of 13 points during the final period. They actually never outscored an opponent in the final frame during any of their three wins this far. In their nine losses, the Wizards have a fourth-quarter point-differential of -31. Win or lose, the fourth quarter isn’t where this team thrives.

The Wizards do have one of the NBA’s best offenses, so it’s not surprising that they are one of the NBA’s leaders in fourth-quarter points per game. They currently average 28.1 points during the final 12 minutes, sixth-most in the NBA. The points mean nothing if the Wizards can’t stop their opponents, though. No team has better illustrated that over the past two seasons than the Wizards.

Last season, even factoring in their bubble struggles, the Wizards finished with a top-half offense, ranking seventh in points per game and sixteenth in offensive rating. However, their awful defensive rating (114.7; 29th) ultimately did them in.

Even after the lackluster performance against the Spurs — 101 points is the fewest the Wizards have scored in a game this season — the Wizards still rank third in the NBA in points per game and eighth in offensive rating. However, their defensive rating is awful, again, and they currently sit just above the Detroit Pistons at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

The Wizards are running out of time to figure things out. The lack of urgency and “just wait, it’ll happen” attitude of this team is getting tired. Being shorthanded for the foreseeable future due to the long list of players still in COVID-19 health and safety protocols won’t expedite that process. But the Wizards need to figure out how to close games, and they need to figure it out fast.