Washington Wizards Win Emotional Game For Randy Wittman
The Washington Wizards pulled out a nail-biter against the Rockets in an emotional win for head coach Randy Wittman.
An intense last-second defensive stop propelled the Washington Wizards to a 123-122 win over the Houston Rockets. However, Saturday night’s game pales in comparison to the news Randy Wittman received earlier during the game that his brother had passed away on Saturday morning in Indianapolis, according to Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post.
Wearing his heart on his sleeve that night, Wittman was courageous enough to lead his guys throughout the game. He showed no signs of wavering and even credited his brother for the win.
Whether the players knew about their coach’s tough situation or not, the team played wire-to-wire basketball with the Rockets, showing no signs of quit. And even though their defense was nonexistent, giving up 122 points, they ironically ended on a strong defensive play against All-Star James Harden.
John Wall stuffed the stat sheet with a near triple-double of 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds, adding two blocks and a steal.
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The team played with passion and energy as eight players scored in double figures, contributing to a win. They also scored a season-high 123 points while shooting a season-high 52 percent from the field. Their bench play was also solid, with 55 points to help the starters.
Jared Dudley was another key contributor to the team’s success by adding 16 points of his own and shooting an impressive 5-for-8 from the field.
“We wanted to win for coach,” Dudley told Castillo.
The news of his brother passing puts a bittersweet stamp on Wittman and his team’s latest victory. It is unfortunate specific circumstances such as this one would need to be used to inspire the team to play better basketball than it has of late.
But if there was ever a positive to the day Wittman had, it was knowing the players would do whatever it took to secure a victory even in hostile territory. A win like this shows character and that players aren’t willing to give up on a season that is still within their grasp.
It can also show a sign of things to come with almost every player contributing to a key win, whether it be with points or a great defensive effort that the statistics don’t necessarily show.
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Hopefully Wittman’s brother will serve as a motivator for the team for play hard for their coach and even harder themselves.
“He was here, ” Wittman expressed. “He watches every game in his La-Z-Boy and he’s up in heaven watching it in a La-Z-Boy. Tough day, but I’m proud of our guys,” reported by Castillo.