John Wall and the Clippers Get the Last Laugh in Wall’s Homecoming Game, Dealing Washington their Sixth Loss in a Row
It was a homecoming game for former Wizards star, John Wall, and he and the Clippers surged in the second half, dealing a sixth loss in a row to Washington. Bradley Beal was still inactive and showing D.C. how valuable he is to the team. The Wizards are 4-5 without Beal this season, and 0-3 as of recently when he is sidelined.
Now while it was a sentimental game for Wall, he had a relatively quiet night. Wall was only able to score 13 points and not able to hit a single 3-point shot in the 30 minutes he played. However, a quiet night from Wall was all covered up because Paul George exploded for 39 points. For Wizards fans it was yet another night in which they couldn’t hold the star player for the opposing team.
Kawhi Leonard had an average game which is pretty much how his season so far has gone. Leonard finished with 13 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. He has missed a lot of time in the last few seasons, only playing around 50 games in each of the last two seasons, and has only suited up for 8 games so far this year. The San Diego State prodigy is 31 years of age and could be heading toward the end of his career quicker than expected considering he was averaging 24 a game last season.
For the Wizards, Kyle Kuzma had a phenomenal game except if you look at the turnover category, but that has been the Achilles heel for Kuz all season. He concluded his night with a team-high 35 points, including 63% from deep, 3 assists, and 12 rebounds. Kuz would also, however, lead the team with 6 turnovers.
While you might think Kuzma was also the team leader in rebounds, it was Porzingis who was able to haul in 15 boards, all defensively. The Wizards were dominant on the glass thanks to the 7-footer, who also recorded a 30-point game (his 5th this season).
Despite 65 points from just Prozingis and Kuzma, as well as a 17-point and 6-steal night from point guard Jordan Goodwin, the Wiz still couldn’t get it done. The main factor you have to look at has to be the turnovers (which Washington finished with 15 of them) because they were able to shoot nearly 50% from beyond the arc, 43% from the field in total, and only missed 2 free throws. This has been the largest issue for coach Unseld Jr. and the Wizards, and if it continues coach Unseld Jr. might find himself on the hot seat after just 2 seasons.
Washington, now 11-16 and 12th in the Eastern Conference, will stay in the District to play Kevin Durant and the Nets on Monday at 7 pm EST. The Nets got the best of the Wizards back on the final day of November, but Washington is very eager to snap this losing slide they have found themselves in.
