Author Archives: Stephen D. Riley

A minor hiccup didn’t stop the Washington Wizards from playing some of their best basketball in years, and as winners of eight of their last nine games, the Wizards are peaking at just the right time. Despite an injury to key front court player Nene, Washington’s recent acquisition of Andre Miller and Drew Gooden delivered […]

Behind guard John Wall and center Marcin Gortat, the Washington Wizards ended February with an 8-5 record and started off March 1-0. Winners of six straight, the Wizards have found their groove since the All-Star break with Gortat powering the way. The big Polish man has averaged over 15 points and nine rebounds per game […]

The lack of a backup point guard has dragged Washington’s offense down all season—All-Star point guard John Wall has been a staple for the offense, but the points start to drop when Wall starts to rest. Garrett Temple provided an adequate job as the first combo guard off the bench, but Washington needed to make […]

Washington’s season-long flirtation with the .500 mark continued through the second week of February as the team evened their season record ahead of consecutive losses dropped them two games below .500. The team enters the midseason break at 25-27, a vast improvement over the past few seasons but still enough frustration to have fans waiting […]

Momentum continues to escape the confusing Washington Wizards. While stretches of play against a gauntlet of power teams inspired the fan base over the last two weeks, missed opportunities in games in which Washington was favored continue to keep the team stuck in neutral. Mon. Feb. 3: Wizards Eclipse .500 for First Time in Four […]

The past week was a challenging one for the Washington Wizards. Games against the best the Western Conference has to offer would have usually resulted in automatic losing streaks for the hometown team. Not anymore. Washington went 2-1 on a short week against the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder, an […]

The Washington Wizards have had the opportunity to go over .500 six times this season—and they’re 0-6 in those games. Maybe it’s nerves, maybe it’s a lack of focus, or maybe it’s some mystical power that’s keeping the team from earning a winning record for the first time since October 2009, when Gilbert Arenas and […]

It’s been an exciting week for the Washington Wizards. In games against Eastern Conference brethren, Washington again flashed some of the potential they have displayed at different points this season and in a home game against the National Basketball Association defending champs showed how far the team has come in just a few short seasons. […]

The second week of the new year has been a key example of who the Washington Wizards are this season: a middling team. Feasting on the league’s worst teams and succumbing to those with a .500 record and better, the Wizards currently sport a 2-15 mark against teams with a winning record. The Wizards simply […]

The New Year isn’t starting off so well for the Washington Wizards. Aside from losing their last two home games, the Wizards overcame a fourth quarter deficit to stun the Detroit Pistons on Monday to break even at .500 at year-end. But with a renewed focus on improving their standing in the Eastern Conference and […]

A six-day layoff gave the Washington Wizards a chance to rest some key contributors, but a subsequent blowout loss on the road in Minnesota gave the Wizards another injury scare that might have proved catastrophic. Washington is slowly rounding into form as players such as Martell Webster, Bradley Beal, Nene and Otto Porter get accustomed […]

After dropping four straight on the backs of a depleted roster, the Washington Wizards got some good fortune and some horses back as both guard Bradley Beal and center Nene returned to the rotation this past week. The return of two of the most important pieces in the Wizards’ puzzle breathed life into an overworked […]