So often this season, the Washington Wizards have climbed back from big deficits only to usually come up short. In Monday’s loss to Milwaukee, for instance, Washington cut a 26-point Bucks lead to five points with more than seven minutes left. Milwaukee, though, pulled away — winning 133-122.
Bradley Beal has a theory for why the Wizards have trouble finishing: They’re running out of gas, he said.
“It definitely takes a toll on you, knowing you compete your butt off and spend most of your time just trying to get back in the game,” Beal said.
Out of the All-Star break, the Wizards have dropped four straight entering Wednesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings. The streak is a setback for Washington given the team’s 9-7 record in February, and another slow start.
In this case, Washington’s problems can be traced to a season-long trend: The Wizards are falling behind early in games.
This season, the Wizards have been outscored by 4.2 points per game in the first quarter — the worst margin in the NBA. Since action resumed last week, that number is 9.5, second-to-last.
“That definitely sucks,” Beal said. “In a way, it’s like a positive thing because we show fight, we show some resiliency, we stay in tune and engaged in the game. But I feel like if we eliminate those 15-point, 16-point deficits early on in the game, I think the score would be a lot different come the fourth quarter.”
According to the website Basketball-Reference, the Wizards have trailed by at least 10 points in 10 of their 38 games after the first quarter. By halftime, that figure jumps to 15 games. Of those 15, seven were by at least 15 points.
Washington’s defensive struggles haven’t been a secret. But lately, the team has strayed from the physicality that played a large part in their February run. Post All-Star, the Wizards have surrendered a league-worst 69 points per game in the paint. During the stretch in which Washington won 8 of 11, the Wizards were average — giving up 46.5 points in that same category.
Coach Scott Brooks, who said his team was “running in mud” over the first two quarters in Monday’s loss, has reconfigured lineups in search of a solution. Center Alex Len is now starting over Moritz Wagner, currently on the outside of the rotation. Former first-rounder Troy Brown has also played in three games, but was a healthy scratch on Monday.
“It’s no fun losing,” Brooks said. “There’s no Cs or Bs like I would always get. You either get an A or you get an F. And when you lose, it’s an F.”
Quality of opponent could be a factor recently in Washington’s skid. Two of those defeats were to the Bucks (25-14, third in the East) and another was to the Philadelphia 76ers (27-12, first).
The Memphis Grizzlies, though, beat Washington and they’re below .500 at 17-19.
Forward Rui Hachimura said Washington is suffering from too many defensive lapses.
“Back in February, we didn’t have this stretch,” Hachimura said. “These past couple games, we’re just giving up easy looks. … We can’t relax. We’ve got to lock in every possession.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.