Washington Wizards: Win against Spurs was biggest of the season so far

John Wall came into the league in 2010. The Washington Wizards have not defeated the San Antonio Spurs since 2005. Yeah I know, pretty embarassing. Last night, January 13, 2015, marks the first time the Wizards came on top in a matchup between them and the Spurs in about a decade. It is depressing, but it is also another sign of a new era starting here in Washington.

I have pointed out several signs over the last few weeks as to why a new era is starting here in Washington, and by now I think everyone in the world is seeing it. After losing 17 straight to this Spurs team, the Wizards defeated San Antonio by a score of 101-93 last night.

Washington held the lead from the start, as the Spurs did not take their first advantage until the fourth quarter. Although four of the five San Antonio starters scored in the double-digits, John Wall and Kevin Seraphin led the way for Washington.

Not surprisingly, Wall lead all participants in this game in scoring and assists, recording 25 and 8 respectively, while hitting 9-of-15 from the field. However, the surprise in this game came at the center position, where a reserve came through for the Wizards.

Fifth-year man Kevin Seraphin played 20 minutes in this game and produced greatly for this Wizards team. He scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in this game. Those numbers are very surprising considering that Serpahin has only averaged 6.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season. More games from him like this, and there will be more playing time for this young gentleman.

Although Bradley Beal scored just 13 points in this game, I noticed a couple signs in this game that shows he is growing up and maturing as a player. Beal tends to fall in love with the jump shot and why not? He does have one of the sweetest shooting strokes in the NBA and is a knock-down shooter.

Jan 13, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) dribbles as San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green (14) defends during the second half at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 101-93. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

However, he also possesses of great speed and agility, which he has to learn to take advantage of and drive into the lain more often. He did just that on a few occasions last night, scoring four points in the paint. It isn’t a lot, but it is showing that Beal is starting to figure out his game more and more. When he does start to fully realize how much talent he has outside of jump-shooting, he will be a star in this league.

The Wizards faced off against a veteran team in San Antonio, but they looked like the veteran team in this game. The Spurs are known for their fluent passing and great shot-selection. Washington showed tons of that in this game. The Wizards ended the game on a 15-6 run, which included seven points form Kevin Seraphin.

They out-rebounded the Spurs 48-34, and held Tim Duncan to just 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting. It was a very good overall performance from the Wiz, and they will need to pull another trick out of the hat for tonight’s matchup in the Windy City with the Chicago Bulls.