Washington Wizards Three Takeaways: Wizards Overcome Denver's Rebounding Advantage At Home
Washington Wizards were coming off one of their most embarrassing losses of the season but bounced back on Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets.
John Wall scored a career-high 52 points on Tuesday night and the Washington Wizards still lost.
The loss was the most embarrassing of the season. There was no bouncing back from that. The good thing about the NBA season is, there is no time to pout and be down. It will continue, regardless of disappointment surrounding the season.
Washington faced the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night and didn’t look like a team that was coming off their most embarrassing loss of the year.
The Wizards looked flat, disinterested and lacked energy. Everyone, including Wall, struggled to find a rhythm and the Nuggets gained a double-digit lead almost by accident.
Without Emmanuel Mudiay in the lineup, the Nuggets struggled to get into their offensive sets and relied on ugly offense for most of the contest. It wasn’t a pretty game and the lack of fans in the arena didn’t help either.
In the second half, the Wizards gained some momentum and got a lead of their own. With a few steals that led to transition baskets, the Wizards were able to put the Nuggets away, 92-85.
Rebounding is a problem
Marcin Gortat, relatively speaking, has been solid this season, averaging a career-high 12 rebounds per game.
But on Thursday, the Wizards were dominated on the glass. Gortat snagged just 7 for the game.
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Denver outrebounded Washington by 10. Nikola Jokic led Denver on the glass with 11 rebounds in limited action off the bench.
Surprisingly, Kenneth Faried – the team’s best rebounder – didn’t play.
Faried has fallen out of the Nuggets’ rotation after being one of their most promising young players.
If he continues to receive DNP-CDs, the Nuggets will likely consider moving him before the trade deadline.
He’s on the final year of his contract.
Denver lacks outside shooting
The Nuggets made just 7 of their 32 attempts from deep on Thursday. They missed three consecutive 3-point shots in the final moments of the game.
If the Nuggets could buy one from the perimeter, the result likely would’ve been different. Washington caught a break, as plenty of the looks Denver got were uncontested.
Oubre shows up again
Bradley Beal scored 26 points on 8-15 shooting and certainly played a big part in Washington’s win, but Kelly Oubre‘s energy off the bench was just as valuable.
Oubre came up with momentum-changing baskets, including a fast break layup in the fourth quarter. He pressured Danilo Gallinari into a couple of tough shots and sparked the team with his effort on the defensive end of the floor.
He finished the game with 8 points and 5 rebounds.
Once Oubre finds a consistent jumper, he’ll thrive alongside Wall and Beal.
Washington will meet the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Saturday.
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