@oheyijust
It’s hard to say anything other than this was expected, because even many Wizards fans expected the result of this game to be exactly what it was, which was a Wizards loss. Some may actually say the Wizards were more “successful” in this loss than expected, because they stayed in a game where they probably should have been blown out. After all, a loss is a loss so this tight game looks just as bad as the blowout loss to Detroit on Sunday.
When looking at the keys to victory, it was obvious that defense was going to have to step up, which did not occur as indicated by the score. The Wizards let the Warriors shoot 50% from the field, and 52% from 3-point range. They allowed Stephen Curry to go off to score 32 points after coming back from and ankle injury that kept him out for a game.
The one statistic that absolutely lost this game for the Wizards was their 26 turnovers. That is not a typo, they actually found a way to give the ball away 26 times. That’s 26 shots they could have had, which could have resulted in an additional 52-78 points, which would have given them the blowout win.
Obviously, they would not have hit all of those 26 shots, but if they could have only hit 4 out of 26 of the shots, they would have been able to get the win. They were able to shoot 53.2% from the field in the game, which indicated that at least 4 of these shots would have gone through the net. If they want to have any chance for a run at the title this summer, the Wizards must ensure this is the last time they give the ball away to the other team this easily.
The Wizards had Marcin Gortat, Paul Pierce, Garrett Temple, John Wall, and Kevin Seraphin all score in double figures, while Nene and Rasual Butler each scored 9. Paul Pierce led the way with 25 points and 5 rebounds while making all 9 of his free throws. He wanted this win badly, and his play showed it, but the team’s inability to keep control of the ball resulted in his effort going to waste.
The Wizards have now lost 4 in a row, but have an opportunity to get back on track tonight when they travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves (12-43). It should be an easy win, but with the way the Wizards are playing right now, there is no way to tell who will win this game. Let’s see if the Wizards can get a win they are supposed to get,and blow out the T-Wolves on the road at Target Center.
