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Washington Wizards: 3 takeaways from their first victory of the season

By Jerran Anderson

PORTLAND, OR - OCTOBER 22: The Portland Trail Blazers stands for the National Anthem before the game against the Washington Wizards on October 22, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - OCTOBER 22: The Portland Trail Blazers stands for the National Anthem before the game against the Washington Wizards on October 22, 2018 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images /

The Washington Wizards got their first victory of the season on Monday night and while it wasn’t pretty, there was certainly a lot to take away from it.

The Washington Wizards entered Monday night with an 0-2 record. Their first two games of the 2018-19 season hadn’t gone exactly as planned, losing by a combined five points in those two contests. The Portland Trail Blazers entered at 2-0 and on their home floor, looking to extend their winning ways.

In the end, the Wizards prevailed 125-124 in overtime, and it wasn’t due to the heroics of Bradley Beal or John Wall either. It was “The Other Guys” that saved the day, namely Markieff Morris, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Otto Porter Jr., that came through in the clutch. Morris, Porter and Oubre combined for 66 points in Washington’s first win of the 2018-19 season. Morris led the team with 28, while Porter led the way with 10 rebounds. Oubre led the way with his defensive prowess.

It’s early, but adjustments by head coach Scott Brooks have this team on a different mission: Play small-ball. As a team, the Wizards shot 15-of-37 (40. 5 percent) from 3-point land. Their small-ball lineup grinded out a tough win while Wall struggled. He finished the game with 16 points on just 5-of-19 (26.3 percent) shooting from the field. Beal was his usual self, putting up 25 points on five made 3-pointers and nearly had a triple-double with eight rebounds and seven assists.

After two close losses, the Washington Wizards finally got a close victory. It was an ugly win, but a win is a win. Here’s a look at three takeaways from their victory over Portland.

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