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Washington Wizards: Finding Their Groove Entering Final Road Trip

By Jerran Anderson

Mar 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) runs the offense during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) runs the offense during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Washington Wizards got their road trip off to a good start with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The win puts the Wizards in prime position as they begin their final West Coast road trip of the season.

The Washington Wizards scored 40 points in the first quarter, matching their season-high of total points in a quarter. They came out hot and never looked back, scoring 71 points in the first half of their 127-115 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

Point guard John Wall was aggressive in the first half.  He set the tone with 24 points and six assists on 10-for-11 shooting from the floor. He finished the game with 37 points, 11 assists and four rebounds for the Wizards.

Shooting guard Bradley Beal had 27 points of his own in the game, along with six assists and four rebounds. As a team, they only had 15 assists, but it didn’t matter as they used a 69.8 percent shooting night to cruise to their first victory of a five-game road trip.

Another bright spot for the Washington Wizards was Kelly Oubre Jr. He scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench. The team was without forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who was out due to a stiff back.

Oubre Jr. played big minutes in Bogdanovic’s absence and grabbed some key offensive rebounds for the Wizards in the game’s final minutes. He shot 7-for-8 from the floor in the game as well.

So far this season, the Wizards are 3-1 against the opponents they face on this upcoming road trip that ends on Apr. 4. The one loss came to the Utah Jazz 102-92 back on Feb. 26, in a game they were outrebounded 50-28.

Bench Players Are Stepping Up When Needed

The Washington Wizards’ past two victories have come once again due to strong bench play. Granted, one of their last two victories was against the Brooklyn Nets, who are 15-57.

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But the Wizards bench outscored the starters 70-59 in their 129-108 victory against the Nets. It allowed the Wizards starters to get some much-needed rest in the process. Each starter played under 25 minutes in the game.

Wall still finished with 24 points and nine assists and Beal finished with 19 points and three assists, but they trusted their bench to do most of the damage.

Forward Bojan Bogdanovic scored 17 points and had seven rebounds against his former team. Backup point guard Brandon Jennings scored 18 points and dished out nine assists in just about 21 minutes of work.

The game allowed the Wizards to rest up for their matchup with the Cavaliers and it showed. Wall and Beal came out ready to play despite playing the night before, as did Kelly Oubre Jr. and center Jason Smith off the bench.

Oubre Jr. and Smith were sparks off the bench, making key plays for the Wizards in tough moments. Smith scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Oubre Jr. grabbed two tough offensive rebounds on back-to-back plays in the fourth to get two big baskets at the end of the game.

Efficient Shooting Rules The Day

The Washington Wizards came out focused in their game against Cleveland, shooting a season-high 59.8 percent as a team. Wall shot 14-for-21 from the floor and 2-for-2 from three. Beal was 9-of-19 from the floor and 2-for-6 from three. Oubre Jr. was 7-for-8 and Jason Smith made all four of his field goal attempts in the game.

The ball movement was on full display for the Washington Wizards as they put up 24 assists as a team. John Wall had 11 of those assists, a lot of them coming on the fast break. The Wizards had 27 fastbreak points in the game against the Cavaliers.

Next: 10 Matchups We Want To See In The 2017 NBA Playoffs

With two days of rest before they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Mar. 28, it gives the Washington Wizards an opportunity to get healthy and regroup. They’ll need all hands on deck for their final stretch of games as they look to make a move in the playoff race. With the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors on winning streaks of their own, the Wizards need all the wins they can get in their final nine games.

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