Another week brought yet another losing streak for the Washington Wizards. This time, however, a three-game slide came in matchups with teams with records below .500, setting a new tone of disappointment for the struggling squad. The usual workweek for the Wizards featured a mix of both narrow defeats and the occasional blowout, and against some of the NBA’s worst, Washington stuck true to form.
Wizards vs. Detroit Pistons:
A road matchup against the Detroit Pistons on March 6 came down to the final moments, but the Pistons pulled away to hand Washington a 113-102 defeat. The contest got Wizards rookie John Wall’s blood boiling, as the young player was at times seen instructing teammates to get back on defense. Wall had a game-high 24 points to go along with his seven assists and five rebounds. As proof of his aggressiveness, he was fouled heavily and attempted 13 free throws as Washington added to their road woes this season.
Wizards vs. Milwaukee Bucks:
A home date with the Milwaukee Bucks on March 8 wasn’t supposed to be an easy win for the Wizards—but it also wasn’t expected to be a blowout loss, either, as Milwaukee ran wild in a 95-76 loss at the Verizon Center. Washington’s top three scorers, Wall, guard Nick Young and forward Andray Blatche combined to shoot 14-of-41 from the field. Newly acquired rookie guard Jordan Crawford, however, turned in his best game as a Wizard with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Wizards vs. Los Angeles Clippers:
Washington returned home for a date against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 12 and, despite a huge game from Wall, two of his rookie All-Star teammates got the best of him. Clippers rookies Blake Griffin (26 points, five rebounds) and Eric Bledsoe (23 points, eight rebounds, six assists) paced Los Angeles to a 122-101 victory over Washington. Wall led the way for the Wizards with 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Los Angeles blasted Washington for 64 first-half points and also out-rebounded the home team, 50-38, and delivered more assists, 24-16.
With the three losses, the Wizards fell to 16-48 on the season. The team will return to action on March 14 with a visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
