Fans poured into the Verizon Center, dressed head-to-toe in their Halloween best. People on stilts danced outside of the arena as entertainers had the crowds dancing on their feet to the sound of the steel drums. The game marked the first time the Washington Wizards played at home for the 2015-2016 season, hosting the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, this first game did not turn out the way fans had hoped and the Knicks left Washington having won 117-110.
In contrast, inside the arena, the day was also marked with gratitude and sadness for the life and many contributions of former Wizards Head Coach, Flip Saunders who, at the age of 60, had recently passed from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Throughout the arena, all stopped for a poignant moment-of-silence to reflect on the great work Saunders did with the Wizards, the Washington, D.C. community and throughout the NBA.
At the tipoff, Washington got off to a fast start, taking the lead early. The Wizards were able to expand their lead with the Knicks seemingly unable to finish opportunities and get the ball into the net.
Guards John Wall and Bradley Beal set the tempo early for Washington, with aggressive moves to the basket and dives for those important loose balls. Center Marcin Gortat also helped the Wizards establish an early lead with outstanding rebounding. Momentum began to shift however, when the Knicks hit two free throws, cutting the score down to one (Wizards 10 – Knicks 9).
The crowd erupted as Washington forward Drew Gooden stepped up to hit a beautiful three-pointer. Then New York’s Carmelo Anthony responded immediately with a Knicks three-pointer of his own, keeping the game close.
That would not be the last crowd-silencing shot by New York’s six-time MVP as he really started to look like his pre-surgery self as the game progressed.
With five minutes remaining in the second quarter, Washington continued to battle through the tight matchup. Beal had a tremendous steal, quickly pushed the ball up court and slammed it into the basket. With 1:53 to go in the half, Wizards forward Kris Humphries — who had been scoreless — completed two free throws to bring the score to 56-53 Washington.
With time continuing to wind down and just seconds left in the first half, Knicks point guard Jerian Grant took the ball away and put it through the rim for the slam dunk. The Wizards lost the lead to go into halftime down by three: Wizards 56 – New York 59.
The third quarter continued to be a lead-swapping battle until, with 4:24 left on the clock for the period; New York hit two free throws to tie the game 75-75
The fourth quarter sent both team’s fans hearts’ racing. Beal was playing lights-out. Unfortunately for Wizards fans, the strong fourth-quarter push ultimately was not enough to overcome the deficit as Anthony finished the game with 37points, leading his team to the victory. The Wizards were not able to slow down the Knicks 10-time All-Star defensively.
This game was a good test for Washington and the team has committed itself to working harder and with more focus to improve on the defensive side of the ball.