The Washington Wizards are finding their groove to start off 2021 on a positive note. After an 0-5 start, the Wizards have been victorious on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday and the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night. If there is one matchup that appeared to be the toughest of the two road games, it was the Nets with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant leading the way.
In a game that went back and forth throughout all four quarters, it was the Wizards making timely stops and securing key rebounds that put them in the position to win. In the five games that the Wizards have lost, it came down to the last 3-4 minutes of the fourth quarter. This time they were able to successfully hold on and squeaked by Brooklyn with a 122-123 victory.
In the first half, Kyrie Irving was able to dominate Washington going into halftime with 20 points but the Wizards adjusted, holding Irving to 10 points in the second half. Similarly, the Nets were able to slow down Beal in the second half which led to him facilitating more shots amongst his teammates.
A key play for the Wizards down the stretch came off a missed jumper by Beal with the Wizards down by one. Thomas Bryant grabbed the rebound and got the ball back to Beal who gave it back to TB for the layup making the score 116-114.
Irving then missed a three-pointer but the Nets secured the rebound putting the ball in the hands of Durant for a jumper that didn’t go in with 1.5 seconds left in regulation.
Prior to the game, Wizards Coach Scott Brooks said it would take a prayer to stop Durant’s jumper. It looks like a higher power heard him loud and clear.
“I prayed throughout,” Brooks said jokingly. “I got my prayer answered at the last shot. We got a good break. We kept competing and figuring it out. That’s a team ready for the championship this year with all the talent they have. I thought we competed.”
He also noted the integral rebounding by Bryant that put the Wizards in the driver’s seat in the last seconds of the 4th quarter.
“That gave us the chance to win the game. That was huge,” Brooks continued. “TB is growing up. It’s fun to coach him. He’s emotional. Last year it wasn’t to our advantage. This year he is controlling it. His growth in that area is going to help us win a lot of games this year.”
“I really try to focus on giving my energy out in a good and focused way and play as hard as I can on the defensive and offensive end,” Bryant said. “It took awhile but its been self-observing myself.”
Bradley Beal finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, Russell Westbrook had 24 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists, and Thomas Bryant had 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Both back-to-back wins are big for a Wizards team that is trying to build momentum following a slow start to the season.
“We just have to continue to feed off this momentum and keep it going,” Beal said. “The positive energy in the locker room is great.”