The Washington Wizards entered last night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a 17-21 record. They have bounced back since that 10-game losing streak and were getting Bradley Beal back from a three-game absence due to hamstring soreness.
This was going to be a tough task against the Bucks with their superstar MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo at the helm. However, the return of Beal was most certainly going to help their chances to pull off an upset victory. Unfortunately, Beal went down once again, as he re-aggravated the hamstring injury.
Update: Bradley Beal (left hamstring soreness) will not return to tonight's game. https://t.co/jYrCJ09BZY
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 4, 2023
This is not an unfamiliar tale for the Wizards franchise with our max guy getting hurt repeatedly. However, the Wizards still put up a fight throughout the game. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Wizards trimmed the lead to five. Then in the fourth quarter, they were able to get to within two.
Then Giannis Antetokounmpo happened. The “Greek Freak” decided to go nuclear on the Wizards and rack up 19 fourth quarter points En route to a 123-113 win for the Bucks. At the end of the game, Giannis finished with a career high 55 points.
The same problems that the Washington Wizards have faced all season strike again.
The paint defense for the Wizards is still a glaring issue, as they allowed 66 points in the paint. The Bucks finished shooting 11-40 from three, but they dominated inside. Kyle Kuzma garnered 20 points but was extremely inefficient; shooting 10-28 from the field and 0-6 from three.
Kristaps Porzingis led the team in scoring with 22 points, Daniel Gafford was great on the boards with 12 of them, and Monte Morris was close to a triple double. However, inefficiency from the field was the downfall on the offensive side. The Wizards only shot 43%, while the Bucks shot 48%.
Obviously, the biggest concern is the health of Bradley Beal. The hamstring has been an issue for a few weeks now and it continues to linger. Hopefully, Beal can rest up and be fully healthy in due time. Maybe then, the Washington Wizards can put together a run.