Wizards 118
Hornets 111
April 4, 2017 – Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
I try to stay neutral when everyone else is pressing the panic button, but after one half of the play, I was ready to sound the alarms as Washington looked absolutely terrible defensively. Excluding the Utah game because they are not greatly skilled offensively, the Wizards have allowed an average of 64.6 points in the first half. Thankfully for them, Scott Brooks got into his team at halftime and lit a fire underneath them that allowed them to lock in on defense in the second half and eventually pull away with a 118-111 win marking Washington’s 17th double-digit comeback of the season, most in the 21st century for the franchise.
1st quarter
The start of the game was quite interesting from a flow perspective. The Wizards offense was very hit or miss as they shot just 8 of 20, 40 percent, from the field. It was even worse early on with an early 3 of 10 start. However, on those eight made baskets, all of them were assisted on. On the other hand, Washington took just two shots near the rim as they settled for too many jump shots.
I swear, Cody Zeller lives to play against the Washington Wizards. In his career, he has shot 58.1 percent against Washington and quietly averaged 8.5 points and 5.4 rebounds, which are deflated by early career play. In under 10 minute in the first quarter, Zeller already recorded 8 points and 6 rebounds. Charlotte won the battle in the paint 10-4 and held a 24-22 lead after one quarter.
2nd quarter
Lately, the Washington bench has been an above average unit, which would have been laughable to say in November. The second unit used an 8-0 run early in the quarter to give the Wizards a brief two-point lead. Kelly Oubre led the charge by drawing two offensive fouls and also hitting a midrange jump shot. Jason Smith saw himself play a rather heavy 12 first half minutes because of Markieff Morris foul trouble and knocked down three three-pointers alone with another jump shot to go into intermission with 11 points.
Too bad for Washington that Kemba Walker decided to show why he is an All-Star point guard in the quarter as the former UConn star dropped 17 points in the period. Charlotte went on an extended 24-11 run including an 8-0 stretch to take a double-digit lead. After a 2 of 9 start from deep, the Hornets made four straight from three thanks to little contesting from Washington. At halftime, the Wizards dug themselves a huge hole with a 63-51 deficit.
3rd quarter
Like myself, the Wizards drank some coffee at halftime as both myself and they were re-energized to start the second half. Washington went on an 8-0 and 17-4 run midway through the quarter as John Wall and Bradley Beal woke up the Verizon Center crowd, which was fairly good for a Tuesday night matchup. Beal had a thunderous throw down nearly over Zeller and Wall had a left-hand jam cutting across the lane that had the hometown faithful literally lit.
The biggest reason for ending the quarter on a 29-12? DEFENSE! Charlotte shot a miserable 6 of 18 from the field to end the quarter including missing all eight of their three point attempts. Scott Brooks will be the first one to tell you that Washington is a much better offensive and overall team when they are defending first. Case in point tonight and it will be what will take them to the Eastern Conference Finals if they execute at the level they did in the third throughout the playoffs. Washington turned a 12-point halftime deficit into a 87-81 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
4th quarter
Similar to their respectable work to start the second quarter, the bench was able to stretch out Washington’s lead to a game-high 13 points thanks to a 17-10 run. In the first 19 minutes of the second half, Charlotte only had 28 points. The Hornets had 63 points in the first half, 24 minutes.
Also: 4th quarter pushups by Kelly Oubre:
Charlotte’s head coach Steve Clifford clearly understands that defense jump started the Wizards.
“It was all their defense. It was all started with their defense, which is their game and they can turn it into easy baskets up the other end of the floor so they turned up the intensity. We had a couple, really, just ridiculous turnovers changed the momentum of the game, that was the difference.”
Washington gave up 20 points during the final five minutes of garbage time, well not garbage time as Scott Brooks reminded the media pregame that is where he got the most of his playing time. The final minute was riddled with reviews that took forever as Charlotte continued to foul even though they were down eight with under a minute to go. At the end of the day, it was a 118-111 for Washington and a record breaking night.
#WizHornets in a Tweet
The Game’s Top Performer
John Wall – 23 points, 13 assists, 6 steals, 3 three-pointers
Wall went 0-8 to score zero points in the first half, and the Wizards trailed by 6. Wall scored 22 points in the second half, and the Wizards at one point led by 11 in the 4th quarter, enough to secure a 4 point win. When the crowd chants "MVP" for John Wall, they're not in over their head. They know the Wizards go as far as John Wall takes them, thus deeming him a player of most value. How did Wall break out of his first half stinker?
A forgettable night for…
Marvin Williams
Williams was a potential free agent target for the Wizards last summer and he gave Washington fits in the past, but that is why it is nice to have a guy like Markieff Morris that is versatile enough to play solid defense. Williams was absolutely shut down as he was held to 2 points on 0 of 6 shooting in nearly 30 minutes of play.
Key Stat of the Night
Jason Smith is a straight baller. The seven-footer had a career-high 5 three-pointers tonight and has more made three’s this season, 35, than he in his previous eight years combined, 34. Smith said before the road trip “evolve or die” and it is a testament to his hard work as well as the unseen members of the Wizards coaching staff that he is contributing at the level he is now. The modest man he is, Smith thanked the likes of Wall and Beal for making his job simple: “I just space out and I’m just sitting there licking my chops,” Smith said. “It’s a credit to them. They’ve been doing a great job of attacking the rim and staying aggressive on offense. It’s been a really good opportunity for me, but again, it’s a credit to them.”
“Huge,” Scott Brooks said about Jason Smith’s contribution. “One thing that you know that you’re going to get from Jason is great effort, you’re going to get great team spirit, and now he’s knocking down threes all over the line. It used to just be -- early on -- focusing on three, but give him credit and give our staff credit expanding his game, and it helps. Brandon [Jennings] does a good job of pushing the pace [and] finding open shooters -- obviously John [Wall] we have seen that many, many years. Jason… all he has to do is be ready. He does a good job of separating and creating some space and he’s ready to shoot, and our guys are doing a good job of finding him.”
What’s next?
Washington will look for a season sweep of the train wreak otherwise known as the New York Knicks. Getting the victory is obviously the biggest task, but cleaning up the defensive flaws that remain is a close second. The Wizards understand that they can and need to use these final, now four, games of the regular season to polish their game before they really count in the playoffs. Similar to tonight’s game, Washington used a big third quarter, starting on a 16-2 run, to bury New York in their last matchup on January 31.