Wizards go cold from 3, lose to Grizzlies originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Wizards lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 103-97 on Sunday night. Here are five takeaways from what went down…
Rollercoaster game
In the NBA, teams usually go on runs, but Sunday’s game between the Wizards and Grizzlies took it to a different level. Washington opened the game with a 9-0 run, then found themselves down 23 points in the third quarter, then erased that deficit to regain the lead in the fourth, only to see the Grizzlies recapture momentum and sprint to the finish for a victory.
The game followed the same track as Ja Morant. When he got hot, the Grizzlies built leads. When the Wizards charged back, they were shutting him down. But once he shook their defense off late in the fourth quarter, Memphis was able to pull away.
Morant had 23 points, albeit on 9-for-27 shooting with four turnovers, while Desmond Bane led all scorers with 28 points. Meanwhile, the Wizards saw their top players go cold, as Kristaps Porzingis was held to 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting and Kyle Kuzma finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 5-for-14.
While they put up a good fight in this one, the Wizards have now lost five of their last six games. After starting the season 3-1, they are now 4-6 with the Hornets up next on Monday on the second night of a back-to-back.
Beal was out
The Wizards were playing without Bradley Beal, who entered the league’s health and safety protocols earlier in the day. It’s unclear how long he will be sidelined, as he was in and out fairly quickly during another stint in the preseason. The Wizards started Corey Kispert in his place and also moved Deni Avdija back into the lineup at the three.
Kispert played better than he did in his debut on Friday, but is still clearly in the early stages of finding a rhythm. He had six points and three assists, shooting 3-for-6 from the field. Avdija had four points and 10 rebounds, shooting 2-for-12 on the night. Avdija also guarded Morant, continuing his trend of tough defensive assignments, though one has to wonder if Delon Wright would have guarded Morant if he were healthy.
Bench help
The Wizards’ bench has not been a strength overall this season, but they gave the team a major lift in this one, outdoing their Grizzlies counterparts 47-35. After the Wizards went down big early, guys like Rui Hachimura, Will Barton, Daniel Gafford and Jordan Goodwin helped them claw back by turning up the heat on defense and adding some much-needed aggression to the Wizards’ offense. Barton and Hachimura found holes driving through the Grizzlies’ defense that just weren’t there earlier in the game for the starters.
The Wizards’ bench has not played to their potential so far this season, but this game was a reminder of how they could be a plus. Barton and Hachimura give the Wizards some excellent scoring options in the second unit, while Gafford has thrived in the backup center role for much of his Wizards’ career. His athleticism was necessary for the Wizards after the starting lineup had trouble keeping up with Memphis’ speed.
3-point shooting
The Wizards continue to have major problems shooting from the outside. After making only five threes against Philly on Wednesday and eight against the Nets on Friday, they were held to 8-for-41 (19.5%) from the perimeter against Memphis. The 41 attempts were a season-high for the Wizards, but it did not lead to them making more threes.
Kuzma was 2-for-9, Porzingis was 1-for-6, Avdija shot 0-for-5, Barton was 1-for-5 and Kispert went 0-for-3. No one could knock them down, even though the Grizzlies entered this game with one of the league’s worst 3-point defenses. Maybe the Wizards can take solace in the fact they at least let it fly. Two games ago, against the Sixers, they attempted about half of that number (21). They have some guys who have track records of being better 3-point shooters, so perhaps they can shoot their way out of this slump.
Goodwin was solid
Despite the loss, Goodwin was a positive, similar to when the Wizards played in Boston a week ago. He got some early minutes with Beal out and took advantage of them, earning a role for the rest of the game that included extended time guarding Morant. Goodwin did some of his best work on the glass with eight rebounds, including four offensive boards. He also took a charge in the third quarter that was part of a 15-0 run by the Wizards.
In addition to the rebounds, Goodwin had nine points (4-7 FG), five assists, two steals and a block. He hasn’t played much, but has shown plenty of promise with the opportunities he’s been given. Remember, Goodwin was undrafted before working his way through the Wizards’ system from the G-League to now the NBA on a two-way contract. If he continues to impress, perhaps he could prove to be a diamond-in-the-rough signing like Garrison Mathews was a few years ago.
