Washington Wizards Three Takeaways: Heat Outshoot Wizards At Home
Washington Wizards Three Takeaways: Wizards won two games in a row, but their streak was snapped by the Miami Heat on Monday.
Whenever the Washington Wizards made a basket, it seemed like the Miami Heat replied with one of their own.
After winning two straight games, the Wizards had some momentum on their side against the Heat on Monday night.
Washington had previously lost to Miami earlier this season. Both John Wall and Bradley Beal scored over 30 points, yet it wasn’t enough for the Wizards to win at home.
Essentially the same thing happened on Monday.
Both Wall and Beal played at a high level, but the Heat, at the end of the day, hit more tough shots than the Wizards. The contested, but made jumpers make a difference. After a while, they begin to pile up and decide the winner.
The Wizards fell to the Heat, 112-101.
The backcourt showed up again
John Wall scored 30 points and dished out 8 assists. Bradley Beal scored 29 points and stole the ball 4 times.
Both players did what they typically do. Wall dashed and Beal splashed. But the Washington Wizards, to put it bluntly, aren’t even good when their two best players are playing at an All-Star level.
That’s incredibly discouraging at this point in the season.
More from Wiz of Awes
Wall and Beal are playing the best basketball of their respective careers and the Washington Wizards are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
They can’t even beat the Heat, who are right there with the Wizards in the East.
Otto disappeared
Otto Porter has been one of the most underrated players in the league this year and will get paid close to max money in the off-season.
But, for some reason, he still has a tendency to disappear.
Porter played 37 minutes, but only took 7 shot attempts, 4 of which he made.
Scott Brooks has to do a better job of getting the team to distribute the ball evenly. Wall and Beal combined for 46 of the team’s 84 shot attempts. Porter has to get more than 7 shots.
Normally, the blame could be placed on Porter, who’s shied away from shooting the ball in the past. On Monday, however, he barely even touched the ball.
Wall struggles to defend Dragic again
Goran Dragic is low-key one of the top rated Wizards killers.
Seemingly every time he matches up against Wall, Dragic has an outstanding game. Wall struggles to stay in front of Dragic and he carves Washington’s defense. On Monday, he scored 34 points.
There’s no reason why Wall – who’s one of the most athletic point guards to ever step foot onto an NBA floor – should be getting cooked by Dragic.
Brooks (and Wall) must emphasize defense against opposing point guards. This is becoming an all-too common occurrence for the Wizards.
Washington will meet the Charlotte Hornets for the first time this season on Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on 
