Washington Wizards Three Takeaways: Wizards End Losing Streak Against New York Knicks, 119-112
Washington Wizards were coming off a disappointing loss to the 76ers, but were able to come out with a win the following night against the New York Knicks.
After losing to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, things couldn’t possibly get any worse for the Washington Wizards.
They hit rock bottom. There’s nowhere to go but up.
On Thursday, Washington had an opportunity to redeem themselves against the new-look New York Knicks. Despite a not-so-great start, the Wizards strung together a few runs and were able to gain a double-digit lead.
New York, while improved on paper, doesn’t have much depth.
Similar to the Wizards, the Knicks are completely reliant on their starting five. If Carmelo Anthony, for instance, struggles, the Knicks typically aren’t able to make up for the difference.
Washington struggled with a few minutes remaining in the game, but once Scott Brooks put John Wall back on the floor, the team was able to close the deal, 119-112.
Wizards find rhythm from deep
Before Thursday’s game, the Wizards were making the least amount of threes per game in the entire league (6).
For some reason, the team took and made a bunch of shots from deep against New York. Washington made 15 of their 25 tries.
Otto Porter scored 21 points and made 4 of his 5 three point attempts.
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John Wall made 3 threes and Bradley Beal added 3 as well.
Off the bench, Marcus Thornton made all 3 of his threes and Kelly Oubre hit 2 of his 4 shots from deep.
That sort of shooting isn’t sustainable.
The Houston Rockets lead the league in made threes per game with just under 14.
Washington doesn’t have a James Harden, Ryan Anderson or Trevor Ariza to count on.
Still, the team could use that hot shooting as momentum.
Better yet, Washington could use this performance to change the way they operate their offense. Instead of relying on mid-range jump shots, Brooks might promote more shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
Pick-and-roll is back
Before trying to run a poor man’s version of Mike D’Antoni‘s offense this past season, the Washington Wizards were very reliant on the half-court, pick-and-roll game. Wall was one of the league’s leaders in assists as a result. Marcin Gortat, who’s known for his pick-and-roll ability, thrived next to the point guard.
Wall and Gortat clicked on the play early and the Knicks couldn’t get a stop. Wall dished out 11 assists, many of which came off the simple pick-and-roll with Gortat. The Polish Machine finished the game with 16 points, making 7 of his 12 shot attempts.
Shutting down Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis scored a career-high 35 points on Wednesday night and posed a matchup problem for the Washington Wizards, as he does to most teams, with his size.
Markieff Morris has been the Wizards’ best defender this season and welcomed the challenge. He didn’t allow Porzingis to get to his sweet spots near the elbow early and forced him into tough, contested looks.
Morris has done a tremendous job of just putting his body on offensive players, making them uncomfortable. He’s the most physical player the Wizards have had in years. He held Porzingis to 16 points on 16 shot attempts.
Washington will continue their stretch of home games against the Miami Heat on Saturday.
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