Bulls 101
Wizards 92
December 28, 2018 | Capital One Arena | Washington, D.C.
The Washington Wizards are 10 games under .500 for the first time since the end of the 2012-13 season (29-53) under Randy Wittman (his first full season). On Friday night, the home team had a letdown against the Chicago Bulls who now have 10 wins on the season and have been blatantly tanking for the draft lottery since last season. Bradley Beal might not want to admit it, but an early offseason is looking more and more likely for the Wizards.
Washington was without four of five players from their penciled in Game 1 starting lineup on Friday including John Wall (sore left heel), Otto Porter (right knee strain/contusion), Markieff Morris (upper back/neck stiffness), and Dwight Howard (back surgery). Wall will see renowned foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson (possibly in Green Bay, WI where Anderson is employed by the Packers) on Saturday for the bone spurs in his heel that have existed for three to four years. This injury is what he and the team claim to have resulted in his career-low one-point performance in an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this year. This is potentially serious and not good for Washington in terms of this season or the future with his four-year, $168 million supermax extension looming.
Morris was also a surprise gameday scratch after he aggravated the injury initially stemming from the Lakers game nearly two weeks ago. Porter again participated in a pregame workout and seems close to returning to the court, but probably needs to practice with the team first, which could make his return next Wednesday against the Hawks. Howard is obviously still out for another two to three months recovering from surgery, which means the Wizards could continue to be short of firepower on Saturday.
Without a supporting cast, Bradley Beal was forced to try and beat the Bulls all by himself. The soon to be two-time All-Star (you heard it here first – not really) had 34 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 38 minutes of play. He probably would have been on the court for a bit longer if not for the second leg of the back-to-back on Saturday. Chicago knew that Beal was the only credible threat for Washington and they blitzed him at every opportunity making his night miserable. He was already fighting a stomach bug that forced him to miss the morning shootaround but says he was feeling better after rest and medication. Probably not at 100 percent and being hounded with double teams all night is a factor in Beal only shooting 13-of-27 from the field because he is certainly capable of better efficiency than that.
Besides Beal, no other Wizards scored more than 12 points. Thomas Bryant had 12 points and eight rebounds, Jeff Green had 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting, Trevor Ariza had 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting, and Tomas Satoransky had nine points on 4-of-11 shooting. The team as a whole shot just 40 percent from the field and that was higher than their sub-35 percent they shot in the first half when they only scored 42 points. It is a make-or-miss league and Washington did more than their share of missing as they have for most of this season.
Off the bench, things were not all that better. Ian Mahinmi played in his third straight game in over a month after consistent DNP-CDs and was matched up with Robin Lopez. Lopez only had 10 points, but he sure did make Mahinmi look bad on a few occasions with a baby hook twice before kicking out to a corner triple when Satoransky was forced to help down. Chasson Randle knocked down a couple of three-pointers and Sam Dekker had six points and five rebounds, while Ron Baker is still looking for his first points as a Wizard.
With only 10 healthy bodies available, not including two-way players Devin Robinson and Jordan McRae who were up from the Go-Go after playing Thursday night in New York, Scott Brooks utilized nine of them. The odd man out was first-round pick Troy Brown Jr. Instead of giving the rookie minutes at backup small forward, Brooks platooned Ariza and Satoransky. After a summer of Ernie Grunfeld and Brooks raving about the 19-year old’s versatility, the head coach has mostly indicated that Brown is not ready to see rotation minutes when questioned about the rookie. Maybe that is why Washington always trades away their first-round picks? Kidding, but on a night where the team clearly needs a spark, Brown is not given the opportunity.
The Wizards will host Kemba Walker and the Hornets on Saturday night after Charlotte beat the Brooklyn Nets on their first leg of a back-to-back. Washington will likely be shorthanded again.
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