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The Washington Wizards beat the New York Knicks 114-96 on Wednesday night.
The Wizards played back-to-back games, as the All-Star break crept onto them. With the victory, the Wizards have now won 5 out of the last 7 games so far. This is great streak for the Wizards, who are giving a possible chance to push into the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. It didn't start out pretty for both teams, as the Wizards were up by just 1 point in the first quarter and were down after the first half. But they bounced back int he second half, outscoring the Knicks almost by double-digits.
We continue to see different rotations from head coach Scott Brooks, who played guard Gary Payton II for just 2 minutes. Considering the Knicks sit at 13th in the Eastern Conference, Brooks should have given more minutes to the second unit players such as Moritz Wagner (who was ejected), Troy Brown Jr., and Shabazz Napier. Nonetheless, here is an analysis of Wednesday night's win.
Beal scores 30 points, 25+ points in 12 straight games
Any rational NBA fan should know by now that Bradley Beal was truly snubbed from the All-Star roster. Against the Knicks, he shot the lights out in Madison Square Garden, scoring 30 points with 2 rebounds and 3 assists. He also added 2 steals and 1 block, improving his defensive stats which were supposedly a contributing factor as to why he was not chosen to the All-Star, despite having greater offensive statistics than other players who were selected.
Beal went 11-23 FG, 6-7 FT, and 2-7 3PT tonight. With teams now on an All-Star break, it will be interesting to see how Beal reacts to the game. Will he be called upon due to an injury? We will find out in the next few days.
Robinson and Napier play well
Newcomers Jerome Robinson and Shabazz Napier got more minutes than others for some unknown reason. While they didn't score heavily, they definitely showed what they bring to the table, especially Robinson. Napier will be a free-agent this year, so it's likely that he is not retained by the team. But Robinson will be a developmental player, who scored 5 points with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
If Robinson proves to be a great player off the bench, the Wizards could use him in trade talks next season before the trade deadline, assuming that the Wizards are one of the front runners in the playoff picture.
What's next?
The NBA has a week-long break due to the All-Star events. The Wizards will play on the 21st against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
