Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from Game 5 vs. Raptors
2. Shooting woes kill all the momentum
With the bench being outplayed, it didn’t help that the best players on offense didn’t show up either. John Wall shot 10-for-21 (47.6 percent) from the field and was 0-for-4 from 3-point range. Bradley Beal was 8-of-20 (40 percent) from the floor and 3-for-8 from 3-point range. For the most part, Beal was the only player “on” from behind the arc.
Otto Porter Jr. was 0-for-3, Markieff Morris was 0-for-2 and Ty Lawson was 0-for-1. For those keeping track at home, Wall, Porter, Morris and Lawson were a combined 0-for-10 from the 3-point line on Wednesday night.
The Raptors take a 3-2 series lead and can close it out in Washington (where the Wizards have won 8 straight playoff games) on Friday.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 26, 2018
It was a close game for the most part, with 10 ties and 17 lead changes, but when it mattered the most, Washington just couldn’t make any big shots. There’s time for redemption, but it’s must-win time for this group. When things aren’t going well, the Wizards need to be able to adjust. For the most part, they just weren’t able to adjust to bad shooting nights from their main scorers.
It could help to play Mike Scott more, who is usually instant offense in games. He put up seven points and four rebounds in just 14 minutes. Extending his playing time more could produce bigger results on offense. Scott was 3-for-5 from the field too.