With only nine healthy players, Washington Wizards Head Coach Randy Wittman put together a formidable seven-man rotation against the Sacramento Kings Monday night at the Verizon Center. The home team finished strong offensively. The Wizards shut down Sacramento with a solid defensive effort as well, holding the Kings to less than 100 hundred points.
Washington center Marcin Gortat went six-for-six in the first quarter, not missing any shot he took. The Polish Hammer was a major force, finishing the game with a season-high 27 points and dominating Sacramento’s center Demarcus Cousins. Gortat also had made his presence felt defensively with 16 rebounds.
“He’s one of the best, if not the best big men in the league,” Gortat responded when asked to reflect upon going up against Cousins. “I know he is going to go out at me. I definitely had to focus and go at him and try to make him tired.”
The nine-year veteran did an excellent job of hustling back and forth on the court all night and Cousins struggled to keep up with the big man and get back on defense.
Washington guard Garret Temple hit a new career-high 23 points which included five three-pointers. The Wizards ended with a season-high 14 three-pointers in this contest.
The Wizards led most of the night but did allow Sacramento to sneak back in and tie the game 84-84 at the end of the third quarter.
Wizard’s point guard, John Wall played with a hip injury, a high right ankle sprain and a bruised right knee. He also injured his rib during the game but still managed to set some records. The two-time All-Star bested his own record, logging a career-high 19 assists on the evening.
Washington outscored the Kings 29–15 in the fourth quarter. They finished the game scoring an impressive 113 points with only seven guys and held the Kings to under 100 points.