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| Balanced Wizards shake off Grizzlies for third straight win, 100-91 | Balanced Wizards shake off Grizzlies for third straight win, 100-91 |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Before his Washington Wizards claimed another victory with a shortage of healthy players at Verizon Center on Wednesday night, Coach Randy Wittman was asked whether he could even envision a time when his roster — the one many expected to compete for an Eastern Conference title — would become complete again. | Before his Washington Wizards claimed another victory with a shortage of healthy players at Verizon Center on Wednesday night, Coach Randy Wittman was asked whether he could even envision a time when his roster — the one many expected to compete for an Eastern Conference title — would become complete again. |
| “Hopefully, we get there,” Wittman said. “But if we don’t, you got to make do, and that’s what we’re doing right now.” | “Hopefully, we get there,” Wittman said. “But if we don’t, you got to make do, and that’s what we’re doing right now.” |
| The Wizards continued to make do Wednesday, toppling the Memphis Grizzlies, 100-91, for their third straight victory during a difficult stretch of their season. The win, over a team that crushed the Wizards just nine days earlier, came with only 10 available players, including one, Jarell Eddie, who joined the team Tuesday. | The Wizards continued to make do Wednesday, toppling the Memphis Grizzlies, 100-91, for their third straight victory during a difficult stretch of their season. The win, over a team that crushed the Wizards just nine days earlier, came with only 10 available players, including one, Jarell Eddie, who joined the team Tuesday. |
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| When the Wizards visited Memphis earlier this month, the Grizzlies drubbed them, 112-95, and Wittman insisted a major reason for the result was that the Grizzlies successfully lulled his team into playing their style. Washington favors racing up and down the floor. Memphis prefers strolling. The Grizzlies’ method prevailed. | When the Wizards visited Memphis earlier this month, the Grizzlies drubbed them, 112-95, and Wittman insisted a major reason for the result was that the Grizzlies successfully lulled his team into playing their style. Washington favors racing up and down the floor. Memphis prefers strolling. The Grizzlies’ method prevailed. |
| The location change also brought a change of pace. On Wednesday, the Wizards pushed the ball whenever possible and nudged Memphis out of its comfort zone. By the final buzzer, the Wizards (13-14) had placed six players in double figures even though they were without two of their top three scorers — Bradley Beal (leg) and Otto Porter Jr. (thigh). | The location change also brought a change of pace. On Wednesday, the Wizards pushed the ball whenever possible and nudged Memphis out of its comfort zone. By the final buzzer, the Wizards (13-14) had placed six players in double figures even though they were without two of their top three scorers — Bradley Beal (leg) and Otto Porter Jr. (thigh). |
| Garrett Temple paced the Wizards with a team-high 20 points and became the first player in NBA history to record three straight 20-point efforts after having none in 250 career games. John Wall, battling a variety of injuries from bruised ribs to a badly sprained right ankle to a bruised right knee, had his second straight poor shooting performance — he posted 14 points on just 5-for-18 shooting — but accumulated 14 assists to four turnovers two days after compiling a career-high 19 assists in Monday’s win over the Sacramento Kings. | |
| Marcin Gortat registered 12 points and 12 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season, Ramon Sessions added 16 points off the bench, and Gary Neal, who missed Monday’s contest because of a sore lower back, returned to contribute five points in 16 minutes. | Marcin Gortat registered 12 points and 12 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season, Ramon Sessions added 16 points off the bench, and Gary Neal, who missed Monday’s contest because of a sore lower back, returned to contribute five points in 16 minutes. |
| “I thought our ball movement [was great],” said Wittman, whose team posted 26 assists on 37 field goals. “We moved it. John again doesn’t have to carry the load for us scoring.” | “I thought our ball movement [was great],” said Wittman, whose team posted 26 assists on 37 field goals. “We moved it. John again doesn’t have to carry the load for us scoring.” |
| The Grizzlies, the league’s worst three-point shooting team, shot 10 for 15 from beyond the arc in their drubbing of Washington earlier in the month. The Wizards, the league’s worst at defending the three-pointer, held them to 3 for 17 from three-point range Wednesday while Washington made 11 of 25 three-point attempts. The Wizards also outrebounded Memphis 44-35 and limited Marc Gasol, who tortured them with 24 points in the previous meeting, to 11 points. | The Grizzlies, the league’s worst three-point shooting team, shot 10 for 15 from beyond the arc in their drubbing of Washington earlier in the month. The Wizards, the league’s worst at defending the three-pointer, held them to 3 for 17 from three-point range Wednesday while Washington made 11 of 25 three-point attempts. The Wizards also outrebounded Memphis 44-35 and limited Marc Gasol, who tortured them with 24 points in the previous meeting, to 11 points. |
| Mike Conley topped the Grizzlies (16-15), who fell to 7-2 on the second game of back-to-back sets, with 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Georgetown product Jeff Green recorded 19 points, and Zach Randolph, coming off the bench for the seventh straight game, posted 16 points and five rebounds. | |
| “Everybody competed,” Wall said when asked what the difference was between the two matchups. “I played better. I had more energy. The thing about it was just there, we didn’t have any fight, no effort out there. If you watch the film, that’s probably the worst we played all season.” | “Everybody competed,” Wall said when asked what the difference was between the two matchups. “I played better. I had more energy. The thing about it was just there, we didn’t have any fight, no effort out there. If you watch the film, that’s probably the worst we played all season.” |
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| The Grizzlies jumped out to an 8-2 lead through 95 seconds as they made their first four shots from the field, but the firepower was unsustainable. They mustered just 10 points on 5-for-20 shooting the remainder of the quarter as the Wizards upped the intensity. The 18 first-quarter points were the second fewest an opponent has scored on Washington this season. | |
| The Wizards expanded the gap to 18 less than two minutes into the second quarter as frustration torpedoed the Grizzlies. First, Coach Dave Joerger was assessed a technical foul for boisterous complaints. And before play resumed, Mario Chalmers, who had picked up three personal fouls in five minutes, picked up two quick technical fouls on his way to the bench to earn an ejection. | The Wizards expanded the gap to 18 less than two minutes into the second quarter as frustration torpedoed the Grizzlies. First, Coach Dave Joerger was assessed a technical foul for boisterous complaints. And before play resumed, Mario Chalmers, who had picked up three personal fouls in five minutes, picked up two quick technical fouls on his way to the bench to earn an ejection. |
| Washington’s lead ballooned to 22 points in the third quarter on a Temple step-back three-pointer as the shot clock wound down to complete a 16-2 spree. But the Grizzlies eventually clipped the deficit to eight with 2 minutes 57 seconds remaining. They stayed within striking distance until Wall’s chasedown block of a Matt Barnes fast-break layup with 1:12 left and Washington nursing its 100-91 edge quashed any chance of a comeback. | Washington’s lead ballooned to 22 points in the third quarter on a Temple step-back three-pointer as the shot clock wound down to complete a 16-2 spree. But the Grizzlies eventually clipped the deficit to eight with 2 minutes 57 seconds remaining. They stayed within striking distance until Wall’s chasedown block of a Matt Barnes fast-break layup with 1:12 left and Washington nursing its 100-91 edge quashed any chance of a comeback. |
| “We’re playing the way we want to play, I’ll say that,” Wittman said. “But as soon as you think you’re somewhere, sometimes you’re not. So it’s one game at a time.” | “We’re playing the way we want to play, I’ll say that,” Wittman said. “But as soon as you think you’re somewhere, sometimes you’re not. So it’s one game at a time.” |