Great defensive performance leads Wizards to win over Charlotte
The Washington Wizards let a whole lot of anger out on the Charlotte Hornets last night. After winning just one game in their last eight and losing eight straight games away from home, the Wizards went into Carolina and destroyed the Hornets by a score of 95-69.
The win can very much be thanked to a stellar performance on the defensive side of the ball for Washington. They held Charlotte to a season-low 69 points and allowed just three players to score more than seven.
John Wall payed his dividends to this game both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. He has a distinct advantage guarding almost any player in the league due to his quick hands and mobility. He recorded three steals and one block last night, as he is averaging 1.8 steals per game this year, which is eighth in the league and tied for his career-high.
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Wall filled up the entire stats sheet last night, totaling 15 points, nine assists, and five rebounds, while hitting 7-of-11 from the field. He has continued to show people what a true point guard should be: Look for the pass first and the best way to set up your team for an easy score before you think about scoring yourself.
Marcin Gortat lead all scorers in this game with 20. Bradley Beal did score 14 points last night, but it took him 16 shots to do so. Efficiency and consistency is something that has been lacking in Beal, because there is definitely no shortage of talent there.
The Wizards finished the first quarter up by 15 and never looked back. Fast starts are going to be a key for Washington to get off to, because in most of this rough stretch that they have been going through, they have fallen early and often in games. Fast starts equal a much higher probability for success.
Next up the Wizards will head back home to take on the mighty Memphis Grizzlies. The game will take place on Thursday night and will be presented to the whole world on TNT. This will mark the first time that the Wizards receive a regular season game on TNT in over seven years.
The big man duo of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol is often stated as the only better twosome than what the Wizards have down low. I encourage you to look out for that matchup, but I am warning you; you might have to look really hard, because there might just be too much height to see.