Washington Wizards 3 Takeaways: Bradley Beal Shoots Lights Out, Wizards Eclipse Phoenix Suns
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal scored a career-high 42 points, leading his team to a much needed win over the Phoenix Suns.
After losing at home to the Miami Heat, the Washington Wizards continued their home stretch against the Phoenix Suns.
Washington entered into Monday’s game with a 3-9 record, while the Suns were a lowly 4-10.
Before the game, Phoenix led the league in field goal attempts and steals, and were top five in rebounding. Tyson Chandler missed the game, though, so the team lacked some depth in the front court.
The game was tight until the final moments when Bradley Beal and John Wall closed the deal, 106-101.
For the first time in his career, Beal had a back-to-back 30 point game. On Monday, he scored a career-high 41 points.
With less than two minutes left and the game tied at 99, Wall came through in the clutch and delivered multiple buckets to seal the victory.
Needless to say, the backcourt came through when Scott Brooks needed them most.
Hello defense, my old friend
Washington opened up the first quarter with high energy and played with intensity throughout the entire game. This season, they’ve ran out of gas after the first half, but that wasn’t the case entirely.
The Wizards started and ended the game defensively, not allowing the Suns to have easy looks inside.
In the first quarter, Wall set the tone with two blocks, one of which was against his former Kentucky teammate Eric Bledsoe.
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Beal had 16 points in 18 minutes. Porter hustled with 9 points and 8 rebounds.
That defense, coupled with actual enthusiasm, is how the Washington Wizards should look to play going forward.
Wizards finally play like a team
For the first time in perhaps this entire season, the Washington Wizards finally played like one cohesive unit, even though not every single possession ended the way they wanted it to end.
Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat pulled down rebounds, and hustled on both ends of the court for loose balls.
At the end of the half, the team collectively had 15 assists, with 7 coming from Wall.
Wall didn’t have to carry the Wizards; everyone contributed. Beal, in particular, obviously led the charge. He made 14 of his 22 attempts and scored 42 points in 40 minutes.
Otto Porter left the game in the middle of the third quarter suffering from right hip inflammation, but Kelly Oubre did a solid job of replacing him. Marcus Thornton also hit back-to-back threes to slow the Suns’ momentum in the third quarter.
Everyone who played for the Wizards contributed in some capacity.
Wizards got to the line
Washington wasn’t able to defend the 3-point line yet again, but they did get to the free throw line.
The Suns entered the game second to last in 3-point shooting. They made 11 threes against Washington.
With that said, the Wizards slowed their shooting by getting to the line.
Beal got there 11 times. Washington, in total, shot 34 free throws.
Since the team lacks an elite scorer, getting to the free throw line on a consistent basis (and making the free throws) is imperative.
Washington will take on the Orlando Magic on Friday.