The Wizards straight out dominated the Knicks in a 101-87 victory in DC to get their winning streak to two games. In the two wins, the Wizards have scored over 100 points each, and have won by a total of 27 points.
The game should have been put away while the Wizards were leading by 20 points after the first quarter. Instead, Washington’s defense gave up 36 points in the second quarter and allowed New York to creep back into the game. Teams like the Knicks can’t be given nearly 40 point quarters, because they simply do not have the talent to do so. It can’t be the Knicks offense that is to credit for the outburst, so it has to be faulted on the Wizards defense.
John Wall was a leader in the game, and got everybody involved as he tallied a career high 18 assists on the night. When the best player on the team is only scoring 6 points in such a dominating effort, it shows their leadership to get everybody involved. Wall did have a rough shooting night, going 3/13 from the field, but everybody will remember this game for his passing rather than inability to hit a shot.
Otto Porter once again performed admirably in the absence of Paul Pierce, and was able to score 17 points, grab 8 rebounds, and dish out 2 assists. Porter is becoming the number three overall pick everybody expected, and is turning out to be a great pick. When Pierce’s time in DC is over, and if the Wizards miss out on Kevin Durant in 2016, the Wizards have a solid option to start at the small forward position.
The one stat that stands out in this game, and in other victories for the Wizards has to be the points paints scored. Tonight, the Wizards managed to score 60 points in the paint, even without Nene, who is one of the better post scorers in the league. It shows just how easy it is to win basketball games when teams chose to reward the big man for running the floor.
Even though the Wizards beat two of the worst teams during this winning streak, they have to take whatever they can. Any momentum going into playoff time is useful, and any win is going to be acceptable to Wizards fans. Tomorrow’s game in Memphis will show if these past two games have been a fluke, or the start of something new in DC.
