National Basketball Association

Bradley Beal, Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards are going streaking

Published Apr. 26, 2021 10:43 a.m. ET

Don't look now, but there is movement in the nation's capital.

The Washington Wizards are currently 27-33, putting them 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. But if you take a look below the surface, they have the makings of a team that is reaching its peak right as the playoffs approach.

The Wizards are in the middle of a late-season turnaround, having won eight straight games, which is good for the longest win streak by the franchise in almost 20 years.

It should come as no surprise that their All-Star backcourt of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal has been right in the middle of the action.

In a 119-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, Westbrook had a modest game by his standards, with 14 points and 11 assists.

Westbrook has been on in April, averaging 22.2 points, 13.7 rebounds and 11.8 assists. He has recorded 11 triple-doubles in the 14 games the Wizards have played so far this month.

Also making magic this month is Beal, the team's leading scorer, with 31.1 PPG. With him in the lineup — he missed a four-game stretch from March 30 to April 5, as well as an April 10 loss to the Suns — the team has won 11 straight games.

That success has coincided with Beal's most efficient shooting stretch of the season.

Beyond the recent streak of wins by the Wizards and the dominant play from their two best players, the team has been trending in the right direction for nearly three months now.

Since Feb. 13, the Wizards are 21-16. They are eighth in the league in points allowed per possession in that time, a far cry from when they were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA to begin the season.

That rough defensive start resulted in Beal calling out the team's defense publicly after a 116-107 loss to the Boston Celtics on Jan. 8.

The defensive turnaround since then has been seen throughout the roster, most notably with reserve center Daniel Gafford, whom the Wizards acquired from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline.

Gafford has been a revelation since his arrival in D.C., averaging 11.2 PPG and 6.2 RPG and contributing two blocks and per game as a member of the Wizards.

His defensive presence was felt the most in the Wizards' recent win over the Cavs.

With this recent streak of wins, the Wizards are 2.5 games ahead of the Bulls for the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference, which would yield them a spot in the NBA's play-in tournament. They are also only 1.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers for ninth with 12 games remaining.

If the Wizards can keep this up, they just might get the chance to work a little postseason magic this year.

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