(Photo: Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Wizards 93
Nets 87
December 13, 2017 | Capital One Arena | Washington, D.C.
Coming off a five-game 10-day road trip that stretched from coast-to-coast, the Wizards were looking to get some home cooking and get rid of the sting from those late finishes in Brooklyn and LA. They almost dropped a third straight game after blowing a big lead but a couple of clutch shots sealed the deal in 93-87 win that saw the return of John Wall.
This was Wall’s first game in two weeks after missing the last nine games with a knee injury. He was a part of the starting five as was Mike Scott, who started in place of Markieff Morris. Morris was out with right hip soreness along with pain with his ankle and groin prior to the game. He got the night off as a precaution.
Slow Start Offensively
Things were pretty sluggish and quiet in the first half on the offensive end for both teams. For the Wizards, they shot 41.9 percent finishing with 41 points. It was even more sluggish for the visitors as they scored 12 points in the first quarter and 17 in the second.
"Well, I've never watched paint dry, but I'm assuming that is what it looked like," head coach Scott Brooks said as soon as he walked into the interview room. "Right?"
The bad start offensively for the Grizzlies in the first half was credit for the Wizards defense. The 12 first quarter points allowed was the fewest they allowed to an opponent in a quarter this season. In turn, the 29 points the Grizzlies scored in the first half was the fewest points the Wizards allowed to an opponent in a half this season.
Wolf Season Is Back
Before the game, Scott Brooks told us that his goal was to get Wall’s minutes. At the end of the night, Wall’s minutes were actually in the late-20’s. His time clocked at 27:37. Wall finished his night with 13 points along with four assists, two steals and a big block on Chandler Parsons late in the game. His best stretch offensively came in the second quarter. After the Grizzlies went on a 9-0 run in the second to cut their deficit to 29-27, Wall went full wolf mode with a layup, a three, a dunk and a jumper an identical 9-0 run that extended to 12 with a three by Kelly Oubre Jr. Wall's return is exactly what Washington needed and exactly when they needed it most.
"Just what I thought," Brooks evaluated. "He gave us a boost. He made some amazing plays, blocked shots like I've never seen a point guard do ever and he makes it look easy. He was good. He didn't have a lot of assists but we didn't make a lot of shots for him."
Jason Smith vs. Mario Chalmers (and Marc Gasol)
Aside from an action-packed second half of a basketball game, fans were treated to an MMA match. Tempers flared in the early part of the fourth quarter. Jason Smith drove in for a layup and was called for a travel but if you take a closer look at the replay, Mario Chalmers grabbed his arm as Smith drove to the hoop. They had a bit of a shouting match and Smith got shoved by JaMychal Green before the refs broke it up. On the ensuing Wizards possession, Smith and Chalmers had a bit of a shoving match. Each player got a double technical. Later in the game, Smith was tasked with guarding the more physical of the Gasol brothers and the two were banging around down low that will certainly leave them feeling sore tomorrow.
Not Again …
This past Saturday, the Wizards lost a close game to the Clippers that saw them squander a late-game lead. The same thing happened in Brooklyn against the Nets. Both of those games were winnable and came against teams that they should’ve beat. How would the Wizards respond to a Grizzlies team that lost 15 of their last 16 coming into Tuesday’s game? Well, almost the same thing happened for the third night in a row.
The Wizards led by as many as 17 and then the Grizzlies started chipping away in the second half. In the fourth quarter they crawled right back and took their first lead of the night with a three by James Ennis III.
With a close contest late in the period with the Wizards hanging on by a thread of 83-80 with just over two and a half minutes to go, this could’ve potentially became another #SoWizards affair for the third night in a row. But then…
Coming Through In The Clutch
Bradley Beal hit a clutch baseline three (!) and Kelly Oubre Jr. drained a wide-open three to put the Wizards ahead by nine. They never looked back from there on out.
Next Game: The Wizards look to exact revenge from Saturday’s meltdown against the Clippers. This time, LA comes to The Vault and this LA team isn’t Lonzo Ball’s Lakers so we may see a much better home court advantage.