The Washington Wizards lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 127-112 on Wednesday night. Here are five takeaways from what went down...
First game back
The Wizards went into the All-Star break winners of eight of 11 games, which meant it probably wasn't the best time for them to take some time off. They were rolling and risked losing the momentum they worked so hard to obtain.
On Wednesday, they opened the second half with a loss to the Grizzlies, which was a reminder they may have to build back to the point they were. Granted, it was just one game, and they were destined to fall back down to Earth. They may have been showing signs of that already, having lost two of three before the All-Star break began.
Against the Grizzlies, the Wizards got killed down low. The Wizards, who rank eighth in the NBA in point paints allowed, were outdone 78-to-48 by Memphis. Jonas Valanciunas was a big part of that with a dominant performance of 29 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks. Memphis as a team outrebounded the Wizards by 32, 75-43.
That doesn't bode well for the road ahead, as the Wizards see Joel Embiid on Friday and then Giannis Antetokounmpo on Saturday and Monday.
Beal vs. Brooks
The last time these teams played, which was just eight days ago, Dillon Brooks did such a good job defending Bradley Beal that afterwards Beal stated his respect for him. He said Brooks told him midgame how much he had studied film, and that studying paid off as Beal was held to 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting.
Given that, and given they played again in such short time, it was worth watching the rematch between them. And it seemed unlikely Brooks and the Grizzlies would be able to limit Beal twice.
To their credit, however, they accomplished the rare feat once again. Beal had 21 points and shot just 6-for-22. He didn't score his first field goal until 5:25 was left in the first half.
It wasn't easy, though. The Grizzlies had to overload on Beal and at times guard him from baseline to baseline.
Very few, if any, other players get that type of treatment.
They stormed back
The Wizards did a very 2020-21 Wizards thing in this game in that they went down big early, but then climbed their way back. They were down 19 points in the second quarter, yet entered halftime only down five.
Though the Grizzlies had 67 points at the half, it was really the Wizards' offense that was lacking. They shot just 37 percent in the first quarter and were 5-of-18 from three by halftime.
Just over three minutes into the third quarter, the Wizards took a 74-73 lead on a Westbrook fadeaway. But that wouldn't last long, as Memphis then went on a 21-11 run to close the frame.
Westbrook was solid
While the Wizards struggled as a whole early on, Russell Westbrook was a big exception. He got going early with 14 of his 20 points in the first half. He shot 10-for-19 and added 10 assists.
Westbrook has continued to improve as this season has transpired, as early on he dealt with a quad injury that affected his explosiveness, which he has slowly but surely gained back ever since. On Wednesday, he looked especially quick, perhaps a benefit from taking a few days off during the All-Star break.
The Grizzlies are ranked eighth defensively this season and allow the seventh-fewest points in the paint, yet Westbrook got to the rim at will. If that's a sign of more to come, the Wizards may be getting a good second half of the season out of the future Hall of Famer.
TBJ got minutes
As the Wizards trailed by double digits and their offense sputtered in the second quarter, head coach Scott Brooks turned to Troy Brown Jr. for some rare minutes, searching for something to get his team going. Brown made the most of the scarce opportunity, immediately helping the Wizards with their ball movement.
His first standout play was an and-1 fastbreak layup where he finished through contact with Xavier Tillman, who despite being a rookie is built like a brick wall. Later, in the final minute of the first half, Brown drove baseline on a catch-and-go, drew in the defense and then found Deni Avdija for a wide open three in the corner. Brown also had a nice no-look pass to Moe Wagner in the fourth quarter that fooled the defense.
Brown had five points, two assists and two rebounds, but his impact was bigger than the numbers would suggest.
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March 11, 2021 at 10:48AM
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Wizards, Bradley Beal come out of All-Star break flat in loss to Grizzlies - NBC Sports
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