Wizards 101
Bulls 90
February 10, 2018 | United Center | Chicago, IL
In the penultimate game before the NBA All-Star Break, the Washington Wizards took care of the lottery bound Chicago Bulls to remain one of four teams to not suffer a three-game losing streak this season along with Golden State, Toronto, and Minnesota. Washington got off to a good start and took care of business against a sub-.500 opponent, but the victory came at a price as only eight players finished the game. Markieff Morris missed the game with flu-like symptoms, Tim Frazier caught an inadvertent knee to the nose the resulted in a nasal fracture that may require surgery, and Ian Mahinmi was ruled out mid-game with an illness.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Career-Night for Tomas Satoransky
The Czech Republic point guard scored a career-high 25 points, which is believed to be the most by a Czech player in NBA history, on a career-high 10 field goals made on 10-of-12 shooting (83.3 percent) in a career-high 37 minutes. Moreover, he set a career-high in three-pointers made (5) and attempted (6). He also tied his career-high in steals with two in the first quarter. Pressed into high usage with Frazier sidelined and Wall back in D.C., Satoransky was the lone true point guard on the roster and took care of business. "He was on fire," head coach Scott Brooks said concisely.
“He was keeping us in the game,” Otto Porter said. “He was knocking down shots, getting out and running, playing good defense. Basketball gods were just rewarding him for his hard play.”
Terrible Ending
With 2:35 left in a 100-90 game, Satoransky drove from corner and attacked the rim with what could have been another highlight dunk, but birthday boy Bobby Portis, who has a history of questionable actions (re: Nikola Mirotic), swung his arm making contact with Satoransky's arm, face, and ball, while the latter was in flight. Satoransky landed horrible on the right side of his head and blood began to run down his face as a result of his temple making hard contact with the wood. Impartially, that was a dirty play by Portis and he was rightfully assessed a Flagrant 2 and ejected. What he did was out of pocket and completely unnecessary in a game that was all but over and he should be fined and suspended.
"Everybody knows the rule," Brooks said. "It's a dangerous play and I'm sure if he had to do it all over again, he probably would have taken it back."
“I’m sure he was more scared than anything,” Jodie Meeks said. “If a guy has a clear lane to the basket, if you can’t get there, let him go, don’t try to take him out. But, obviously, not everybody abides by those rules. … I’m praying for him.”
“I know he fell hard,” Porter said. “Anybody who fall like that in midair and not have their legs up under them, it’s always going to be a hard fall. It’s just scary to see him hit his head like that. I tried to not to let him get up as quick as he wanted to, make sure he just laid down and caught his breath. It’s always scary especially when you hit your head. Any type of head injury.”
Point Guard Situation
There is a decent chance that Washington will have zero healthy point guards on their roster by their next game if they do not make a move. Wall is recovering from knee surgery, Frazier has a nasal fracture and will visit doctors tomorrow to see if surgery is required, and although Scott Brooks said Satoransky will “be alright,” the 6-7 guard must clear concussion protocol.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Wizards are interesting in former MVP Derrick Rose who is currently on waivers following his release from Utah after being traded from Cleveland. The Washington Post’s Candace Buckner reported that the team is also looking into signing former Wizard backup point guard Ramon Sessions following his January release from the Knicks. The latter would be a better fit and more likely to play immediately if needed. Unless Brooks or Sidney Lowe are willing to sign a 10-day contract, I think Washington will need to make an addition ahead of their next game.
Bradley Beal Goes Quietly
On Thursday, Beal was 7-of-27 from the field for just 18 points in 44 minutes against the Celtics. On Saturday, things got worse as he went 3-of-13 from the field, including 0-for-7 from deep, for seven points and four turnovers in 35 minutes of play. He did have six assists and two steals, but the 10-of-40 shooting in the past two games is concerning. Washington should not get used to being able to win without their All-Star point guard and with their All-Star shooting guard being inefficient.
Sharing Remains Caring
For the tenth time in the last 12 games and seventh time since Wall’s leave eight games ago, Washington had 25 or more assists. On Saturday, they had 31 assists on 38 made field goals, an 82.6 percent assist rate. Beal and Satoransky each had six, Gortat chipped in with five, while Porter, Oubre, and Frazier each had a trio of helpers. With Wall out, it seems that everyone has increased the amount of point guard in the game by a bit. Brooks likes to preach passing in order to go from a “good to great” scoring opportunity and the extra passing is certainly leading to those situations.
Next Game: In the final game before the All-Star break, Washington will travel to New York for a matchup with the Knicks on Wednesday.