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The Washington Wizards sleepwalked through most of their game on March 28 against the Los Angeles Lakers. But a strong fourth quarter changed all of that, giving them their first division title since 1978-79.
It looked like the Washington Wizards would drop another game on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers. But they turned things up in the fourth and came out on top 119-108.
The win gave the Wizards the Southwest Division title, their first division title in 38 years but that's not all. It ended the longest divisional title drought in professional sports for the Washington Wizards.
With a few more games left, at 46-29, the Wizards can end another drought as well: 50 regular-season wins. Not bad for a team that began the season with a 2-8 record.
The Wizards trailed the Lakers by as many as 16 points. They were down 95-82 entering the fourth quarter before flipping the proverbial switch, so to speak. Washington outscored the Lakers 37-13 in the fourth quarter.
The Washington Wizards shot 61.9 percent from the floor in the final frame. They held the Lakers to just five field goals and 23.8 percent shooting in the fourth. Los Angeles shot 0-for-7 from three and committed five turnovers, which also didn't help their case.
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The Wizards also got to the free throw line quite a bit in the fourth quarter as well to overcome the deficit. They were 10-for-11 from the charity stripe.
Clippers End The Winning Streak
The Los Angeles Clippers ended the Washington Wizards winning streak at four games, but they still have a chance to finish strong. It marks the ninth loss in a row Washington has suffered at the hands of the Clippers at Staples Center.
They haven't beaten the Clippers in Los Angeles since Feb. 13, 2008.
The Wizards almost came back, much like their game against the Lakers, but John Wall's 41 points just weren't enough. The Wizards are 7-9 in back-to-back games this season.
Wall scored 41 points despite the Wizards losing 133-124. Center Marcin Gortat and forward Markieff Morris largely struggled, playing a combined 33 minutes in the game. Morris was ejected with 3:44 left in the third quarter for his second technical foul.
Both Jason Smith and Ian Mahinmi played more than 20 minutes off the bench, as did Kelly Oubre Jr. Smith had 14 points, shooting 4-of-10 from the three-point line, and eight rebounds. Mahinmi had five points and eight rebounds (five offensive).
Mar 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kelley Oubre Jr. (12) celebrates after a shot against the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The Wizards won 119-108. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Kelly Oubre Jr. Continues His Strong Play
The Washington Wizards got another big game out of second-year forward Kelly Oubre Jr. Oubre scored nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter against the Lakers on March 28 . He was 3-for-5 from the floor and 2-for-2 from three in the final frame to lead all scorers in the fourth.
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Against the Clippers, he had 10 points, six rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes of playing time. Oubre has come up big for the Wizards in the past three contests. He is averaging 13.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 25.4 minutes per game.
Oubre has come on strong on both ends of the floor for the Wizards of late. He's stepped up and played big minutes while forward Bojan Bogdanovic is still nursing a stiff back. Bogdanovic played just 16 minutes against the Lakers on March 28 and 15 minutes against the Clippers Wednesday night.
The Wizards have begun to use their depth to their advantage, which could loom huge come playoff time. With Oubre, Bogdanovic, Ian Mahinmi, Brandon Jennings and Jason Smith all starting to play well, Washington could be ready for a deep run to the playoffs.
John Wall Continues To Set The Bar Higher
Washington Wizards All-Star point guard John Wall is having quite the season as the playoffs approach. He recorded 34 points, 14 assists, four steals and three rebounds in Washington's comeback road victory. Three of those steals came in the fourth quarter.
He also scored eight points.
It's the fourth quarter, so John Wall is making big plays. #WizLakers pic.twitter.com/XODYkUtiC5
— CSN Wizards (@CSNWizards) March 29, 2017
Wall has elevated his play this season and it's showed. He made 14-of-25 shots (56.0 percent) He is averaging a career-high 23.4 points and shooting a career-high 45.0 percent from the floor.
The four-time All-Star is second in the NBA in assists per game (10.8) and steals per game (2.0) this season. He's tied for seventh in double-doubles (48), but is on pace to break his career-high of 49 double-doubles set a season ago.
That's how you close out a game. What a season @johnwall has put together. #dcfamily pic.twitter.com/RfpsIy9IbD
— Hoop District (@HoopDistrictDC) March 29, 2017
The Washington Wizards fired head coach Randy Wittman this past offseason after five seasons with the organization. The team went 41-41 last season, this season they're already at 46 victories.
Head coach Scott Brooks has turned things around for the Washington Wizards in his first season.
With the NBA Playoffs looming, Wall is becoming a leader and the rest of the team is feeding off of his play. He's already set a new career-high in single-game assists with 24.
The Washington Wizards snapped a four-game winning streak and their remaining road opponents from the West are all playoff teams. As they look to finish strong and with 50 wins, look for Wall to lead the charge.
