Washington Wizards Show True Grit
The Washington Wizards dominate two Eastern Conference opponents after five-game skid.
Last week the Washington Wizards looked like a team uninterested in trying to make a run towards the postseason. A five-game losing steak made many question the direction this team was headed and whether it was time to hit the reset button and start all over.
Fortunately, it would seem that the Wizards have decided to stop feeling sorry for themselves and fight for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Wizards have shown grit and passion with their last two performances at the Verizon Center. Coincidentally, their two best games of the season were against the two teams standing between them and the eighth playoff spot.
On a Monday night prime-time matchup against the Detroit Pistons, the Wizards shined bright. They played exceptionally not only on offense but on the defensive end as well. The Pistons failed to score more than 24 points in any quarter and their two best players (Andrew Drummond and Reggie Jackson), scored a combined 15 points and shot 6-of-16 from the field.
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The Wizards also did a great job at dishing out the rock with 34 assists in the game, 12 of them coming from John Wall. He had himself a night with another double-double. To cap off their dominant performance, seven players scored in double figures for a lopsided 124-81 win.
Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls, the Wizkids found the stroke from the great beyond, sinking 13 of their 21 three-point attempts. For the first time in a long time, Bradley Beal and Wall were in sync. Both players scored at least 20 points and the great Wall stamped the performance with his sixth career triple-double.
It was great to see both players on the floor together and show their dominance with a 117-96 win against the woeful Bulls.
A Nene sighting was discovered in the two games as well. The big man asserted his dominance with a 20-point game against the Pistons off the bench and a 12-point game against the Bulls as a starter.
It would seem odd that the Wizards would play their best basketball against the two teams standing in their way. Scoring 117 points or more in each of the last two games shows resilience and a sense of urgency this team hasn’t had in a while. Their next game against the Philadelphia 76ers can be a trap game in the sense that the team could take its foot off the gas.
But if the Wizards want a chance of getting into the postseason, they must be focused and leave old habits behind them.