(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Even without their All-Star point guard, the Washington Wizards (39-41 and with no chance now at the post-season) managed to pull out a victory against a play-off bound opponent Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately it came a day late and a game short.
The leading scorer for the Wizards was center Marcin Gortat. He took the lead in a last-ditch effort to save a losing season and capture his team’s respect. He did it by finishing up big with 21 points and 13 rebounds in front of a solemn crowd at home to defeat the Charlotte Hornets (46-34). The air was thick and at times the players looked stumped; but somehow D.C.’s home team pulled it all together, saved face and finished strong at the Verizon Center a victory, 113-98.
There had been earlier games where the Wizards had blown fourth quarter leads with frustrating losses to the Hornets in the final minutes. Not this time according to Wizards Head Coach Randy Wittman.
“We still have something to play for,” the coach said. “I told them when we got eliminated: ‘let’s see if we can get to .500…we still have two games. Let’s enjoy it, let’s go out and play, let’s have pride in what we’re doing.’”
Despite the Wizards losing Friday night to the Detroit Pistons — a devastating loss that took them out of playoff contention — they got in their zone early and played with pride. Washington out-rebounded Charlotte and ended their opponent’s two-game winning streak. The Wizards dominated from the beginning, going on a 6-0 run in the second quarter and forcing a huge lead in the first half, 53-39.
Washington not only beat the Hornets at the boards but outscored and defended its positions better. The team beat Charlotte with 20-5 on fast breaks, shot 52.5 percent (42-80) from the field and had 27 assists compared to 21 of the Hornets. Washington outscored the playoff team 50-22 in the paint.
“I thought our aggression was there from the start,” Wittman said. “I thought our Bigs were much more active than we were in Detroit in the first half.”
For a team that defends well and handles the ball even better, Charlotte never seemed to get in a rhythm.
Maybe they were out of sync because of the early start to this game but the Wizards dominated the Hornets on every level, even without their star point guard John Wall and their guard Bradley Beal (who left the game after the first quarter due to a sore pelvis).
Washington crashed the Hornets with offensive rebounds, forcing them to commit 15 turnovers and holding them to 34.6 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range.
Charlotte’s game was not good for a team competing for third place in the Eastern Conference. As a matter of fact, the result of the game is that the Hornets are now confirmed in sixth place in the playoffs.
With disappointment in the air coming from both teams, it was the Wizards who showed more spirit despite their unlucky season. They contested shots; presented a solid defense and their rotations were timely. They had seven players in double figures starting with point guard Ramon Sessions (in for Wall) who contributed 15 points and 11 assists. Forward Marcus Thornton added 16 points, five rebounds and four assists along with center Nene’s 12, and power forward Jared Dudley’s 11 points. Forward Markieff Morris scored 11 and Otto Porter completed the win with his 10 points.
The Wizards head to New York to play the Brooklyn Nets Monday and return home for their final bow against the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday.
The season is coming to an end for D.C.’s home team. A nightmare of a season, everything that could go wrong went wrong. Fans should spread the blame around and not just put it on the players. They just were forced to play a style of ball for which they didn’t have the right personnel.