In the final stretch of the season the Washington Wizards are looking to improve their seeding situation. This has been apparent in their last two games against the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors.
This was another huge game for the Wizards as it was against one of the few teams that are in competition for the Play-In spot with them. While not as important as a game against the Chicago Bulls would have been, it was still a make-or-break game.
The Washington Wizards seem to be aware of the situation they are in.
The Wizards, Kyle Kuzma in particular, started both games off scorching hot. Gaining decent leads in the first few minutes of each game. In the Hawks matchup they had a lead of seven early and in the Raptors game Kyle Kuzma had a 10-0 personal run to start the game.
The defense in both games was much improved from the rest of the season, especially from Bradley Beal. He helped put together a few key stops against Trae Young late in the game that allowed the Wizards to break away with only a couple minutes remaining.
Once again, the defense stepped up to lead the Wizards to yet another key victory. This time the win pushes the Wiz up a spot in the standings as they now hold the nine seed and are one game removed from the Atlanta Hawks for the eight seed and the double elimination protection that comes with it.
On top of their defense, Kuzma poured in 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists to lead the offense through the game. Kristaps Porzingis also had 25 points and Daniel Gafford had 18. It was an all-around team win and they have to be feeling great about it.
If the Washington Wizards can continue to play like this going forward, they may just find themselves lifting themselves up and out of the Play-In Tournament and into the regular Playoffs.