The losing continued for the Washington Wizards during the week of March 14, but the rookie revolution raged on.
The Wizards opened the week with a home stand against the hot Oklahoma City Thunder before closing it with road visits to Chicago and Toronto. Washington dropped to 16-51 after another winless week pushed their losing streak to six games.
Wizards vs. Oklahoma City Thunder:
The Wizards welcomed local superstar Kevin Durant and the red-hot Thunder team to D.C. on March 14, but the Suitland, Md. native lit up the home team with a 32-point outburst in Oklahoma City’s 116-89 victory. Washington placed six players in double figures but a 0-for-9 outing from the three-point line and a lapse on defense contributed to another blowout loss for Washington. Rookie point guard John Wall tied for the team lead with 14 points and added five assists, four steals and seven rebounds.
Wizards vs. Chicago Bulls:
Washington followed up the home loss to Oklahoma with a 98-79 road defeat to the Chicago Bulls on March 15. Rookie shooting guard Jordan Crawford led all scorers with 27 points and logged 48 minutes in the absence of starter Nick Young, who missed the game with the flu. Wall enhanced Crawford’s efforts with 17 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Center JaVale McGee notched his first career triple-double with 11 points, 12 blocks and 12 rebounds in the losing effort.
Wizards vs. Toronto Raptors:
A trip to Canada concluded Washington’s week as the team suffered a 116-107 loss to the Toronto Raptors. The defeat dropped Washington to 1-31 on the road despite a team-high 25 points from Crawford and a career-high 26 points and 13 rebounds from rookie forward Trevor Booker.
With their woeful record, the Wizards are merely playing for next season, but their rookie trio of Wall, Crawford and Booker continue to impress.
Washington will return to action at home against the New Jersey Nets on March 20, and attempt to break their six-game losing streak.
