Nets 103
Wizards 98
December 12, 2017 | Barclays Arena | Brooklyn, NY
Where to start with this damn team? The terrible start to the game? The terrible finish to the game? The O'fer night from 3 for Bradley Beal? How about the defensive breakdowns that led to so many Brooklyn open 3's?
However you want to mark it, the Wizards wrapped up their 5-game road trip with their second consecutive loss, losing to the lowly Brooklyn Nets last night 103-98.
Bradley Beal's barrage of shots.
Last night was a hit-or-miss (lot more miss) kind of night for Beal. He started the game 0-5 from the field, but finished the first half making 8 of his next 13 for 18 points.
But it was Beal's second half that was outright abysmal. He missed 12 of his 15 shot attempts, never hit a 3 all night, ended up with 28 points on 33 shots.
So what went wrong? Looking at his shot selection, not many of his attempts were bad ones. Most were off his usual curls, pull-up shots around Gortat screens, open looks from downtown, and quick shots off the glass. If there is a pattern, you could say plenty of his shots just ended up short, because of the 11 shots he did make some were pretty much in the same scope of the ones he missed.
With Wall out, the Wizards are practically forced to ride or die on Beal's jump shot. And tonight they met their fate.
The bench: nearly the savior.
A silver lining in the Wizards struggle is the not so much struggling of the second unit. Like we've seen in other games this season, the Wizards bench showed up to play, and at times more so than the starters. The backups tonight poured in 43 of the 98 total points scored against Brooklyn, led by Kelly Oubre who scored 12.
Here's a glaring line to leave you with:
Wizards starters plus/minus:
Frazier -19
Beal -10
Porter -17
Morris -10
Gortat -13
Wizards bench plus/minus:
Oubre +5
Satoransky +12
Meeks +17
Scott +3
Smith +7
The shit show known as the 4th quarter.
This was bad. So, so bad. #SoWizards bad. The 4-minute scoring drought late in the game. The Allen Crabbe *dagger* 3 with just under a minute left to put the Nets up by 2. The killer offensive rebound allowed by the Wizards to give the Nets the ball back and a three point lead. And the soul-crushing 5-second violation when Sato couldn't inbound the ball in time, diminishing any chance of a game-tying play.
After the game, Bradley Beal summed it up in typical, repetitive fashion: "Same bad habits." It's like my 18-month-old daughter when she looks at me while deliberately spilling her milk on the carpet, knowing she's done wrong yet neglecting to behave. The Wizards are share the same traits on the hardwood.
Kelly's killa leg sleeve.
I'd like to share a little fun if I may, and of course it comes courtesy of Kelly Oubre, Jr.
We all know the psycho-dab moves he throws during pregame. We know the killer fashion and the wild hair. We recently noticed his dance moves. Last night in Brooklyn, Kelly decided to wear a SUPREME brand arm sleeve ... on his LEG. As Abe Schwardon tweets: truly an important moment in NBA history.
Next Game: #WOLFSZN returns. John Wall is slated to make his return after 2+ weeks of missed action due to a swollen knee. The Wizards have looked awful at worst and average at best without their point gawd, making his return a relief beyond any measure, both for fans and the team. The Wizards will face a Mike Conley-less Grizzlies team tomorrow at home; perhaps a suitable return game for Wall as he re-acclimates with his teammates on the floor.