Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) shoots as New York Knicks guard Arron Afflalo (4) defends with New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Washington Wizards center Nene Hilario (42) watching from the floor, in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. The Wizards defeated the Knicks 111-108. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
With two games scheduled for the week before the NBA All-Star game, the Washington Wizards arrived into the week looking to finish strong as they prepare to make a second-half playoff push. The backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal have been playing well individually, but like much of the rest of the team, the chemistry has been off. The Wizards need to run off a string of winning stretches to finish the campaign. However, Washington couldn’t get that string started as they split the games this week. The AFRO recaps the week that was for the Washington Wizards.
Feb. 9: Wizards Barely Hold On for 111-108 Against Knicks
Washington opened the week on Feb. 9 with a road game against the New York Knicks that had them straining to hold for a 111-108 win after blowing a big lead. Washington led by as much as 16 points, but the Knicks used a huge third quarter behind Carmelo Anthony’s 33 points and 13 rebounds. Wall’s 28 points, 17 assists and five rebounds were enough to carry the night, while Bradley Beal added 26 points. Washington led by 14 points after the first quarter but found themselves down 79-78 after the Knicks Kevin Seraphin made a jump shot with three minutes left in the third. New York led 93-92 with just over seven minutes left in the fourth quarter but Wall held off the comeback, recording 13 points and two assists over the final minutes of the game. The win was Washington’s fifth straight at Madison Square Garden over the Knicks.
Washington Wizards’ John Wall (2) drives against Milwaukee Bucks’ O.J. Mayo (3) during an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Feb. 10: Milwaukee Defeats Washington, 99-92
Washington traveled north to visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 10 during which they let the allure of deep shooting sabotage their game plan in a 99-92 defeat. The Wizards shot just 18 percent from deep on 6-of-32 shooting and only 38 percent from the floor overall as the Bucks capitalized on every miss. Milwaukee pounded Washington on the glass, finishing with a 58-38 edge. Despite recording his 30th double-double this season with 15 points and 10 assists, Wall struggled mightily to shoot the ball on a cold night. The fifth-year guard shot just 5-for-19 from the floor and 3-of-12 from long range. Wall tweaked his knee in the opening quarter but remained in the contest despite being reluctant to attack the rim. With his knee bothering him, Wall settled for jump shots instead of attacking the rim like he routinely does. Beal lead the team with 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
Next: Washington will return to action next week to host the Utah Jazz on Feb. 18 at the Verizon Center which will be the first game of a back-to-back-to-back. Washington will host Detroit the following night before they conclude the stretch with a road game against Miami on Feb. 20.