Wizards 130
Kings 122 (ot)
March 10, 2017 - Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
The Washington Wizards were down 15 points to begin the fourth quarter and I was ready to wave the white towel and suggest Scott Brooks should rest his starters given they will play another back-to-back game in Portland tomorrow. Good thing I am not an NBA head coach because the Wizards pulled off the impossible. In team history, the 15-point comeback at the start of the fourth quarter ties the second largest ever after at 18-point rally in 1979. The Wizards won their eighth road game in their last nine attempts and improved to 40-24 following a 130-122 victory over the Sacramento Kings. With the Boston Celtics losing to Denver tonight, the DC ballers that started the year 2-8 are now the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Quick Hits:
Do not ever question the House of Guards again.
In 84 minutes, which is unfortunate on the front end of a back-to-back against a team with 25 wins and lottery bound, John Wall and Bradley Beal combined for 63 points, 16 assists, 14 rebounds, 6 three-pointers, and 3 steals. Beal had 21 points on 7 of 10 shooting and three three-pointers in the fourth quarter and overtime, while Wall made his lone three-pointer with three minutes left in overtime to give Washington the lead for good. Beal had his first double-double of the season, while Wall recorded his 43rd. The two like to think of their backcourt tandem as second to none and you can see why that argument has legitimate merit.
Also, #NeverForget:
There is still plenty of room to improve.
Whenever I have asked Wall or Beal in what areas the team can still grow in as they head down the stretch run, they point to staying focused and locked in for a full 48 minutes of a basketball game. Far too often, including tonight, Washington is not getting it down on the defensive side of the ball and putting themselves in tough positions to come back. Last year’s team would not have 13 double-digit comeback victories, but this team should not have been down that much either. Over the past five games, Washington is given up an average of 118 points to their opponents and come playoff time one cannot simply expect to outscore their adversary every time.
Jason Smith is a gawd and you will not be able to convince me otherwise.
OK, I am exaggerating that quite a bit because he does have legitimate defensive flaws, which were exposed by Anthony Tolliver late in the third quarter. In his last three games, Smith has recorded 34 points on 14 of 15 shooting (93.3 percent) and 3 of 3 from three, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, and +44 in 57 minutes. That kind of efficiency is not only unreal but reasonable when you consider Smith has an offensive rating per 100 possessions of 175 and true shooting percentage of 101.4 in the month of March.
Highlights:
Bradley Beal. Ice water in his veins.
Who is Buddy Heild?
There's just nothing you can do about John Wall.
Man crush continues to grow for Jason Smith.