Wizards Show Competitive Edge, Snag a Win on the Road

Wizards showed competitiveness in both games against the Grizzlies and Hornets, but only came up with one win. The team will have their hands full in their upcoming games at home.

To say the Wizards were desperate for a win following their 42 point loss at home to the Brooklyn Nets would be an understatement. It was apparent that unpreparedness and overall lack of motivation ailed the Wizards last Friday night. It was time to adjust and they needed to do it quickly as they looked ahead to a red hot Memphis Grizzlies team.

Then the news dropped that the Wizards leading scorer Bradley Beal has entered health and safety protocols and is out against the 6-3 (at the time of the game) Grizzlies. The team had already shown struggles on defense since Delon Wright's injury and the last thing anyone wanted to hear was that Brad was out. That, however, was the situation and the Wizards had to go forward to compete without Beal.

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The Wizards went on to lose against the Grizzlies but one thing was clearly different about the team. They bounced back with a competitive spirit and even seemed to frustrate the Grizzlies at times throughout the game. They were down by as much as 23 points and still almost pulled off the win. Even though they did not, it was promising to see some life and will in the team to stay in the game for all four quarters.

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The next night, the Wizards headed to the Queen City to face the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. The Hornets have their fair share of issues due to injuries but the Wizards would again be without Beal in this contest. The team found their rhythm and was able to close the game out with a win. Team leaders were Kyle Kuzma (20 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (19 points). One pleasant surprise in both games was the great overall play of Jordan Goodwin. He is proving he can be relied upon when the next man up is needed.

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The Wizards are back at home and ready to get in front of the home crowd to bring some excitement into the arena. Up next are the Dallas Mavericks (6-3), the currently #1 team in the West Utah Jazz (9-3), and the Memphis Grizzlies again (7-4). The Wiz will have their hands full facing these three teams. It will not be easy at all, but hopefully the team can keep the competition going and add a few more games to the win column.