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Wizards blow another lead, enter all-star break with loss to Bucks Wizards blow another lead, enter all-star break with loss to Bucks
(about 1 hour later)
MILWAUKEE — While most of the NBA was enjoying the first day of the league’s all-star break Thursday, the Washington Wizards had one last game opposite the Milwaukee Bucks at Bradley Center before dispersing. MILWAUKEE — While most of the NBA was enjoying the first day of the league’s all-star break Thursday, the Washington Wizards had one last game on their slate, opposite the Milwaukee Bucks at Bradley Center, before dispersing. Some players are going home. Others are vacationing in warmer climates. And one, John Wall, is traveling to Toronto for the league’s all-star weekend.
The contest was a matchup between the two clubs underachieving the most based on preseason prognostications in the Eastern Conference. It was an opportunity for one to compile two straight wins, a modest streak with time running out of time to ascend into the East’s top eight. But after bruising his right knee in the Wizards’ 99-92 loss, Wall is unsure whether he will participate in his third All-Star Game on Sunday. Wall injured the knee early in the first quarter when he collided with Bucks guard O.J. Mayo while driving to the basket. He stayed in the game and logged 42 minutes, playing the entire second half, but admitted he was hindered and was limping in the locker room after the defeat.
For the third straight game, Washington jumped out to a blistering start, only to watch a double-digit lead evaporate. But unlike Tuesday in New York, the Wizards could not recover in a 99-92 loss. The defeat dropped the Wizards to 23-28 and prevented their first four-game season sweep of the Bucks since 1974-75. [Wall unsure if he’ll play in All-Star game after injuring knee]
Up by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, the Wizards disintegrated before halftime and went into intermission trailing by nine. They led early in the fourth quarter, but faltered down the stretch as their offense continued to struggle. “If I can’t move and I need more time, then I won’t [play Sunday],” said Wall, who received treatment on the knee at halftime and after the game. “But it’ll be frustrating not to.”
Washington shot just 6 for 32 from three-point range and 38.6 percent from the field. John Wall tallied 15 points and 10 assists but accumulated seven turnovers and shot just 5 of 19 from the field, including 3 of 12 from beyond the arc. Bradley Beal paced the Wizards with 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting in 37 minutes, the most he’s logged in a game since returning from a stress reaction in his right fibula. Centers Marcin Gortat and Nene each posted 14 points and Gortat grabbed 10 rebounds. Wall explained the pain was why he settled for 12 three-pointers. He made just three of the attempts and scored 15 points on 5-for-19 shooting overall from the field . He also compiled 10 assists to seven turnovers.
The Bucks (22-32) have been scouring for a spark, so Coach Jason Kidd drastically altered the Bucks’ starting lineup for Tuesday’s win over the Celtics by moving center Greg Monroe, the team’s prized free agent pickup last summer, and point guard Michael Carter-Williams, a trade deadline acquisition a year ago, to the bench. Miles Plumlee and O.J. Mayo replaced them and Kidd stuck to the configuration Thursday. “I put the game on my shoulders,” Wall said. “I couldn’t really move as much as I wanted to, so I just settled. I never shoot 12 threes if I don’t make eight of them. So it was just me not being in attack mode. I couldn’t really move, so I put the [loss] on me.”
The decision produced another victory as Khris Middleton netted a game-high 27 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker each added 17 points — Antetokounmpo also had 13 rebounds — and Monroe contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes as a reserve. [NBA goes emoji for every player in NBA All-Star game]
The Wizards blitzed the Bucks with a dominant first-quarter performance, executing perhaps their best exhibition of ball movement all season. Washington assisted on its first 11 field goals of the night. It wasn’t until Kelly Oubre Jr. gathered an offense rebound and put it back in with 1:09 left that the Wizard recorded an unassisted field goal. It was their only unassisted bucket of the quarter. Up by 10 points in the second quarter, the Wizards disintegrated before halftime and went into intermission trailing by nine. They led early in the fourth quarter but faltered down the stretch as their offense continued to struggle and they were dominated on the glass. The Wizards shot just 6 for 32 from three-point range and 38.6 percent from the field and were outrebounded 58-38. The Bucks went 23 for 32 from the free throw line.
At the other end, the Bucks, whose starting lineup changes were supposed to improve the group’s shooting, recorded a shooting display as frigid as the single-digit temperatures rocking this city. Milwaukee converted just 6 of 23 field goals in the first quarter — just three more than the Wizards had from beyond the arc alone. The Wizards built a 10-point cushion along the way and held a 27-18 edge through the first period. “When you put a team like that on the line that often, you can’t get out and play with any pace,” Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. “And you compound that with then not rebounding the ball, it puts you in a hole. The second quarter really cost us.”
The lead was back to 10 early in the second when Washington collapsed, this one coming a quarter earlier than has been typical. After Garrett Temple’s putback with 8:56 remaining in the period made the score 37-28, the Bucks thrashed Washington with a 25-5 spurt over to catapult ahead 53-42. [Heat players star in their own version of the ‘Martin’ opening]
The Wizards were dismal in every facet during the free fall. Gortat picked up his third foul to earn a trip to the bench earlier than usual. Otto Porter Jr. fouled Rashad Vaughn as he jumped to shoot a three-pointer and Vaughn drained all three free throws to put the Bucks ahead 41-40. Wall sailed a pass to an empty corner, where he thought Beal would be, for a turnover and Porter was called for an offensive foul as Beal sank a three-pointer to commit another. Bradley Beal paced the Wizards with 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting in 37 minutes, the most he has logged since he returned from a stress reaction in his right fibula. Marcin Gortat, Nene and Otto Porter Jr. each posted 14 points. Gortat added 10 rebounds, and Porter bruised his lower back after a hard fall in the third quarter but stayed in the game.
Nearly eight minutes after Temple’s basket, Wall converted a layup to end Washington’s field goal drought with 1:03 remaining in the quarter. The Wizards missed nine straight shots from the field and went 0 of 8 from three-point range in the quarter. The Bucks (22-32) have been scouring for a spark, so Coach Jason Kidd drastically altered their starting lineup for Tuesday’s win over the Celtics by moving center Greg Monroe, the team’s prized free agent pickup last summer, and point guard Michael Carter-Williams, a trade deadline acquisition a year ago, to the bench. Miles Plumlee and O.J. Mayo replaced them, and Kidd stuck to the configuration Thursday.
Washington’s fortunes appeared to have managed to worsen early in the third quarter when Mayo hip checked Porter as he rose for a fast-break layup, sending Porter tumbling to the floor onto his injured right hip. Porter writhed in pain and stayed on the floor for a minute, but stayed in the game as Mayo was assessed a flagrant-1 foul after referees reviewed the collision. Porter made just one of the two free throws and Washington didn’t score on the awarded possession, but the incident sparked a 12-2 run that put the Wizards back up a point. The decision produced another victory as Khris Middleton netted a game-high 27 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to go with nine assists and six rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker each added 17 points — Antetokounmpo also had 13 rebounds — and Monroe contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in 33 minutes as a reserve.
With the momentum shifted, Wizards Coach Randy Wittman chose to keep the lineup – the same as his starting configuration – in the game for longer than usual until Temple replaced Beal with 2:12 on the clock. The Wizards outscored Milwaukee 20-10 during the stretch and entered the fourth quarter leading 70-69. The Wizards blitzed the Bucks with a dominant first quarter, executing perhaps their best exhibition of ball movement all season. Washington assisted on its first 11 field goals. It wasn’t until Kelly Oubre Jr. gathered an offense rebound and put it back in with 1 minute 9 seconds left that the Wizards recorded an unassisted field goal. It was their only unassisted basket of the quarter.
At the other end, the Bucks recorded a shooting display as frigid as the single-digit temperatures rocking this city. Milwaukee converted just 6 of 23 field goals in the first quarter . The Wizards built a 10-point cushion along the way and held a 27-18 edge entering the second quarter.
The lead was back to 10 early in the second when Washington collapsed, this breakdown coming a quarter earlier than has been typical in recent games. After Garrett Temple’s putback with 8:56 remaining made the score 37-28, the Bucks thrashed Washington with a 25-5 spurt over to catapult ahead 53-42. Milwaukee was 12 of 16 from the line in the period.
“We fouled them too much,” Beal said. “We put them on the line too many times, and it gave them easy points.”
Nearly eight minutes after Temple’s basket, Wall converted a layup to end Washington’s field goal drought with 1:03 remaining in the quarter. The Wizards missed 12straight shots from the field and went 0 of 8 from three-point range in the quarter. Washington responded with a 13-2 run in the third quarter as four starters played the entire period to reclaim the lead. But Washington, with its point guard hampered, faltered down the stretch.
“I lost this game,” Wall said. “I couldn’t move, and I should’ve never shot 12 threes. Those were valuable possessions we lost.”