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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 /

2. Defensive play energized the offense

The Wizards defense came through time and time again in their victory and it showed, especially on the final play of the game. If it wasn’t Oubre taking a big charge, it was Wall or Porter coming up with a big block in the air. Porter made the game-saving block against Damian Lillard on the final play to seal the victory.

Oubre is currently tied for first in the NBA with Jimmy Butler and John Wall for most deflections on defense (10). It’s a small sample size, but the hustle is certainly there for the young wings on the Wizards’ roster.

Washington really set the tone in the second half of the contest with their defense and it showed in the final result. The visitors forced 19 turnovers and held Portland to 28.2 percent shooting from 3-point range. In the Wizards’ two losses to open the season, opponents were averaging 34.4 percent shooting from behind the arc.

While the lineup does leave them a bit vulnerable in the paint, their smaller rotation allows them to spread the floor more and share the ball. They finished with 23 assists and shot 40.5 percent from behind the arc as a team in the victory. The Wizards hadn’t shot above 33 percent from 3-point range in their first two games.

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