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Wizards have dug themselves an almost inescapable hole Wizards have dug themselves an almost inescapable hole
(about 3 hours later)
LOS ANGELES — On Thursday afternoon, Washington Wizards guard Garrett Temple reasoned that his team would need to win at least three of the five games on their upcoming west-coast road swing to jump over .500 and sustain a realistic chance at claiming the Eastern Conference’s final playoff berth. Temple was assuming Washington would handle the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday at Verizon Center before embarking on the trip. LOS ANGELES — On Thursday afternoon, Washington Wizards guard Garrett Temple reasoned that his team would need to win at least three of the five games on its upcoming West Coast road swing to jump over .500 and sustain a realistic chance at claiming the Eastern Conference’s final playoff berth. That, though, was assuming that Washington would handle the Minnesota Timberwolves at Verizon Center on Friday first.
But the Wizards repeatedly flailed down the stretch of a disastrous 132-129 double-overtime loss, looking like the team with the league’s fifth-worst record and a slew of inexperienced pieces — not the veteran club vying for a third consecutive playoff berth. Consequently, the calculus for a successful trip has changed. But the Wizards repeatedly flailed down the stretch of a disastrous 132-129 double-overtime loss, looking more like the Timberwolves — the team with the league’s fifth-worst record and a slew of inexperienced pieces — than themselves, a veteran club vying for a third consecutive playoff berth. The calculus for a successful trip has thereby changed.
“We gotta win. I said before this game that we needed to win this one and then come back over .500 from the West Coast road trip,” Temple said. “We still need to do that. We gotta win at least four instead of at least three.” “We got to win. I said before this game that we needed to win this one and then come back over .500 from the West Coast road trip,” Temple said. “We still need to do that. We gotta win at least four instead of at least three.”
[ Wizards in critical condition after double-OT loss ][ Wizards in critical condition after double-OT loss ]
The bleak reality is that the Wizards (35-37) aren’t guaranteed anything even if they somehow win every game out west. Not only did they lose Friday, but the Detroit Pistons toppled the Charlotte Hornets for their fifth straight win to pad their cushion on Washington to 3.5 games and climb into a virtual tie for seventh place with the Indiana Pacers. The bleak reality is that the Wizards (35-37) aren’t guaranteed anything even if they were to win every game out west. Not only did they lose Friday, but the Detroit Pistons toppled the Charlotte Hornets for their fifth straight win, padding their cushion on Washington to 3.5 games and climbing into a virtual tie for seventh place with the Indiana Pacers.
The Wizards have already surpassed last season’s loss total by two. With 10 games left — and just three at home — they have fumbled away any semblance of control. In addition to wins, they need the Pistons or Pacers to collapse for any shot at the postseason. The forecast is dark. According to the analytics website FiveThirtyEight.com, the Wizards have a 12 percent chance of advancing to the postseason. The number was an optimistic 43 percent before losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Timberwolves dropped them below .500 again. Washington hasn’t resided above the mark since before Thanksgiving. The Wizards have already surpassed last season’s loss total by two. With 10 games left — and just three at home — they have fumbled away any semblance of control: In addition to wins, they need the Pistons or Pacers to collapse for any shot at the postseason. The forecast is dark. According to the analytics website FiveThirtyEight.com, the Wizards have a 12 percent chance of advancing to the postseason, far from the optimistic 43 percent they had before losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Timberwolves. Washington sat at 35-35 on Monday but hasn’t been above the .500 mark since before Thanksgiving.
Other projections are gloomier: ESPN’s Basketball Power Index calculated a 12 percent chance and basketball-reference.com puts it at 3.6 percent. Other projections are gloomier: ESPN’s Basketball Power Index calculated a 12 percent chance, and basketball-reference.com puts it at 3.6 percent.
“We need to play desperate. We have no other choice,” Wizards guard Bradley Beal said. “We kind of have to control our own destiny so to speak. We can’t rely on other teams to lose or depend upon other teams. We can’t do that as much as we want to, we have to control what we can control. “We need to play desperate. We have no other choice,” Wizards guard Bradley Beal said. “We kind of have to control our own destiny, so to speak. We can’t rely on other teams to lose or depend upon other teams. We can’t do that as much as we want to; we have to control what we can control.
Washington’s eight-day trip begins and ends in Los Angeles. The five-game slate features two contests against playoff-bound teams — the Golden State Warriors (65-7), who are 34-0 at home and hunting for the NBA’s all-time best record, on Tuesday and the Los Angeles Clippers next Sunday — and three squads that have punted on the season: the Los Angeles Lakers (15-57) on Sunday, Sacramento Kings (28-44) on Wednesday, and Phoenix Suns (20-52) on Friday. [John Wall tries to save a season already partially lost]
The Wizards arrived in sunny Southern California Saturday and will commence the five-game slate with a matchup against the Lakers at Staples Center on Sunday. Unless he sits out, it will be Kobe Bryant’s final game against the Wizards. Bryant had one of his best games of his farewell tour on Dec. 2 against the Wizards in the District, netting 31 points to lead the Lakers to their third victory of a miserable season. Washington’s eight-day trip begins and ends in Los Angeles. The five-game slate features two contests against playoff-bound teams — the Golden State Warriors (65-7), who are 34-0 at home and hunting for the NBA’s best all-time record, on Tuesday and the Los Angeles Clippers (44-27) five days later — and three squads that have punted on their seasons: the Los Angeles Lakers (15-57) , Sacramento Kings (28-44) and Phoenix Suns (20-52 before their late game against the Boston Celtics).
The disheartening result in early December — efore a pro-Lakers crowd — is one of several the Wizards look back on with regret. They can’t afford any more. The Wizards arrived in sunny Southern California on Saturday and will commence the five-game slate with a matchup against the Lakers at Staples Center. Unless Kobe Bryant sits out, it will be his final game against the Wizards. Bryant had one of his best games of his farewell tour on Dec. 2 in the District, netting 31 points to lead the Lakers to their third victory of a miserable season.
“We have an opportunity to go into L.A., a team that’s been up and down all year, a team that beat us here,” Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. ”There should be no, ‘Oh we can just walk in.’ That’s what I tell them. We gotta end this. You gotta end it. You gotta make it six out of eight. You gotta take it like that. That’s what I tell them.” That disheartening result in early December — before a pro-Lakers crowd — is one of several the Wizards look back on with regret. They can’t afford any more.
“We have an opportunity to go into L.A., a team that’s been up and down all year, a team that beat us here,” Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. ”There should be no ‘Oh, we can just walk in.’ That’s what I tell them. We got to end this. You got to end it. You got to make it six out of eight. You got to take it like that. That’s what I tell them.”