The Wizards (44-33) stunned the Memphis Grizzlies (52-25) 92-83 even without Nene and Paul Pierce. Both teams are fighting for positioning in the playoffs, which gave an interesting storyline to the game. The Grizzlies currently hold the fifth seed in the Western Conference, while the Wizards are now only 1 game back of the Toronto Raptors for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
As usual, John Wall had another double digit assist night, dishing out 14 assists to his teammates in the win. As a team, the Wizards gave out 24 assists, which is going to be beneficial to any team looking to win some games. Assists are the key to team chemistry as any player loves a teammate who find the open man for easy baskets.
Nene and Paul Pierce were once again out of the starting lineup for rest as they gear up for the playoffs. Otto Porter and Drew Gooden both performed admirably as they were once again starters for the Wizards. Both are getting hot at the right time as they will be key off the bench for the Wizards to make a playoff run.
Otto Performed well, but the performance made by Drew Gooden was far superior to what anybody was expecting from him. Gooden scored 16 points on 6/10 shooting, while also adding in 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. It’s good to know once Nene comes back, Gooden will be ready to shine at any given moment.
The performance to Bradley Beal was second to none, and guided the Wizards to a victory over a team competing for a conference championship. Beal scored 20 points on 10/21 shooting, and also added in 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in the victory. Beal also added in this sick dunk where he evaded three different defenders to slam it down.
The Wizards are so close to earning home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and appear to be hot enough to make a run at the fourth seed. All they need to do is win another game and hope for a Toronto loss, and the home court advantage is all theirs. Only two of the last five teams the Wizards play have a better record, which is setting Washington up for a run at Toronto’s positioning.
