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Wizards’ playoff hopes dealt another blow Wizards’ playoff hopes dealt another blow with loss against Clippers
(about 2 hours later)
LOS ANGELES — The Washington Wizards found themselves back at Staples Center Sunday afternoon to conclude a five-game road trip that had started with a win a week earlier in the same arena, needing a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. LOS ANGELES — The Washington Wizards found themselves back at Staples Center on Sunday afternoon to conclude a five-game road trip that had started with a win a week earlier in the same arena, needing a victory to keep alive their bleak chances of advancing to the postseason.
But this time the opposition was not a franchise flailing through its worst season in decades with Snapchat folly and a retirement tour overshadowing the dreadful on-court product. This time the Wizards were facing the Los Angeles Clippers, a team that has gone through its own off-court episode this season but has overcome the repercussions with plenty still on the line. But this time the opposition was not a Lakers franchise flailing through its worst season in decades with Snapchat folly and a retirement tour overshadowing the dreadful on-court product. This time, the Wizards were facing the Los Angeles Clippers, a team that has gone through its own off-court shenanigans but has overcome the backlash with plenty still on the line.
And on Sunday the Clippers welcomed back Blake Griffin, the star in that off-court drama, and they proved too much for the Wizards, who fell, 114-109,to finish their pivotal West Coast swing 2-3 and, likely, their playoff shot. And on Sunday the Clippers welcomed back Blake Griffin, the lead character in the latest off-court episode, and they proved too much for the Wizards, who fell, 114-109, to conclude their pivotal West Coast swing 2-3 and, likely, their playoff prospects.
Washington isn’t mathematically eliminated from postseason contention but its chances are faint. With five games remaining on the schedule, the Wizards are 3 1/2 games behind the Indiana Pacers, though it is essentially a four-game margin because Pacers own the tiebreaker after claiming the teams’ season series. Washington isn’t mathematically eliminated from postseason contention at 37-40, but the odds are long. With five games remaining on the schedule, the Wizards are 3 1/2 games behind the Indiana Pacers, though it is essentially a four-game margin because the Pacers own the tiebreaker after claiming the teams’ season series.
The Clippers (48-28) appeared on their way to a rout in the first half, taking a 17-point lead late in the second quarter, and again in the fourth quarter after the Wizards stormed back to within one early in the third period. But Washington battled back again in the final frame by implementing the notorious Hack-a-DeAndre strategy. “The fat lady hasn’t started singing yet,” Wizards guard Bradley Beal said. “Some crazy things have happened at the end of the season. So anything can happen.”
The Wizards began intentionally fouling Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, one of the NBA’s worst free throw shooters, down by 10 points with just over three minutes remaining. Jordan missed the pair of free throws, and John Wall hit a three-pointer before Washington fouled Jordan again. Wall later sank another three-pointer with 47.4 seconds remaining to trim the Wizards’ deficit to three. On Sunday, Beal and John Wall were outplayed by the Clippers’ back court. Wall finished with 15 points and 13 assists for his 49th double-double but was plagued by early foul trouble and shot just 5 of 14 from the field. Beal scored eight points on 2-for-16 shooting to become the third player in the NBA to make two or fewer field goals on 16 or more attempts this season.
Los Angeles then called a timeout and the Wizards appeared on their way to getting a chance to tie the game with a solid defensive possession. But after the Wizards knocked the ball out of bounds with a couple seconds left on the shot clock, Clippers point guard Chris Paul got Wall to jump with a pump fake to create an open three-pointer that he promptly made to double the Clippers’ lead with 22.7 seconds remaining. It proved to be the final nail. Washington’s front court did the heavy lifting: Marcin Gortat tallied a team-high 21 points, Markieff Morris scored 18, and Otto Porter Jr. posted 14 for his 13th straight game in double figures.
Wall finished with 15 points and 13 assists but he started poorly as the Clippers’ back court outplayed Washington’s. Bradley Beal scored eight points on 2-for-16 shooting, while Paul had a game-high 27 points and J.J. Redick finished with 18. The Clippers were without former Wizards forward Paul Pierce, who sat out because of a sprained ankle. “I couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean today,” Beal said.
Playing a Sunday matinee to conclude a five-game road trip after a Saturday night in Los Angeles isn’t ideal, and the Wizards played like it wasn’t early in the game. Washington looked out of sorts — how they’ve looked often this season — from the tip. Wall’s first quarter was a microcosm. On the other side, Chris Paul had a game-high 27 points and J.J. Redick finished with 18, while Jamal Crawford added 19 points off the bench for the Clippers, who were without former Wizards forward Paul Pierce because of a sprained ankle. Griffin had six points and five rebounds in 25 minutes in his first action since Christmas Day after missing 45 games because of a partially torn left quadriceps, which remains torn, and a broken hand he sustained in an altercation with a Clippers equipment manager.
The all-star point guard picked up his second foul with 7 minutes 41 seconds left in the first quarter and was promptly replaced. Wall has been perturbed by officials’ treatment of him all season and let Sunday’s crew hear his thoughts from the bench. A couple minutes later he was slapped with a technical foul. Paul made the gifted free throw to give the Clippers a 21-8 edge. Playing a Sunday matinee to conclude a five-game road trip after a Saturday night in Los Angeles isn’t ideal, and the Wizards played like it wasn’t early. Washington looked out of sorts — how it has looked often this season — from the tip. Wall’s foul woes didn’t help.
The teams’ first-half discrepancy — the Clippers were clearly the superior team for 24 minutes — was aptly represented in their back courts. Paul and Redick, who is averaging a career-high 16.5 points this season, each netted 13 in the first half. They combined to shoot 11 for 17. On the other side, Wall and Beal totaled 11 points. Beal went 1 for 10 from the floor. The nine misses were one more than the entire Clippers’ starting lineup, which shot 17 for 25. The all-star point guard picked up his second foul with 7 minutes 41 seconds left in the first quarter and was promptly replaced. A couple minutes later, he was slapped with a technical foul from the bench. Wall has been perturbed by officials’ treatment of him all season, but claimed he simply told referee Rodney Mott to “wake up.” But that was enough for his 12th technical this season, and Paul made the gifted free throw to give the Clippers a 21-8 edge.
In all, the Clippers shot a scorching 57.8 percent from the field en route to a 60-point half, while the Wizards shot 36.5 percent. Washington was able to stay within 11 points at halftime for a reason that has usually been a weakness this season: rebounding. The Wizards entered the day tied for last in the league in rebounding with the Philadelphia 76ers and tied for 27th in offensive rebounding. But they owned the offensive glass in the first half and came away with 13 offensive rebounds. Washington outrebounded the Clippers 29-23 in the half. “If that’s what you’re getting techs for nowadays then I guess you can’t say nothing at all,” Wall said.
The Wizards’ offense came around in the third quarter and the surfacing generated a 10-0 blitz to start the period that trimmed their deficit, once 17 points with less than five minutes remaining in the second quarter to one. The Clippers (48-28) capitalized on Wall’s absence and miserable shooting from Beal, who started 1 of 12 from the floor, to take a 17-point lead late in the second quarter as the Wizards shot a dismal 36.5 percent from the field in the first half. But Washington was able to stay within 11 points at halftime for a reason that has usually been a weakness this season: rebounding. The Wizards entered the day tied for last in the league in rebounding with the Philadelphia 76ers and tied for 27th in offensive rebounding. But they owned the offensive glass in the first half and came away with 13 offensive rebounds. Washington outrebounded the Clippers 29-23 in the half and 51-44 for the game.
After Jordan unusually made 1 of 2 free throws to make it a two-point margin, the Wizards had the chance to tie to seize the lead. But Beal missed a jumper and Griffin made two free throws. It was the start of an implosion. Next, Wall missed a three-pointer and Beal botched the easy offensive rebound to ignite a three-on-one Clippers fast break that concluded with Redick sinking an open three-pointer. Beal had his own open three-point try on the Wizards’ ensuing possession. He missed. “We missed a lot of good looks, but we stuck with it,” Wizards Coach Randy Wittman said. “I felt pretty good about the shots we missed, and I knew if we kept getting those shots in the second half that we would make a game of it.”
Paul then drained a pull-up jumper to cap an 8-0 Clippers spurt that stretched their lead to nine points. The margin later ballooned to 12 before settling at 84-73 at the end of the quarter. The Wizards then stormed out on a 10-0 spree to begin the third quarter to change the game’s complexion. The Clippers then responded with an 8-0 jab before the Wizards countered again with the notorious Hack-a-DeAndre strategy.
Washington began intentionally fouling Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, one of the NBA’s worst free throw shooters, down by 10 points with just over three minutes remaining. Jordan missed the pair of free throws, and Wall hit a three-pointer on the ensuing possession before Washington fouled Jordan again. A couple minutes later, Wall sank another three-pointer with 47.4 seconds remaining to trim the Wizards’ deficit to three.
Los Angeles then called a timeout, and the Wizards appeared on their way to getting a chance to tie the game with a solid defensive possession. But after the Wizards knocked the ball out of bounds with a couple seconds left on the shot clock, Paul got Wall to jump with a pump fake to create an open three-pointer that he promptly made to double the Clippers’ lead with 22.9 seconds remaining.
“I made myself mad because I went for a pump fake,” Wall said, “and I knew there was just three seconds left on the shot clock.”
The shot was the final nail on the game and perhaps on the Wizards’ season, too.