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In an unfortunate turn of events, the Washington Wizards lost on Saturday night against the San Antonio Spurs, 124-122 at AT&T Center.
Both the Wizards and Spurs were going back and forth, with either side taking the lead on several occasions. The first quarter was a slow start for both sides, but after that, it was a shooter's game. The Wizards kept a 2-point lead in the 4th quarter until it came down to the wire. Here is an analysis of the game that the Wizards could have won.
Beal leads in scoring, Bertans takes revenge
Shooting guard Bradley Beal led the team in scoring with 25 points, the most he's scored in the 3 games the Wizards have played. He was not exactly efficient, as he went 8-25 from the floor, but made 3 of his 8 3-point attempts. Beal also scored six of his seven free throw attempts.
Forward Davis Bertans, who was signed this past offseason, played for the Spurs last year. It was certainly a revenge game for him and would have been even better had the Wizards won. But Bertans was on fire today. He scored 25 points and went 7-7 from the field, 5-5 from downtown, and 4-5 from the FT line. He also played 32 minutes in this game, which is the most we have seen. It's unclear if he will get this much playing time, but this game certainly showed his potential for the season.
The rookie is still at it
This will likely be news in every game from now on. Rookie power forward Rui Hachimura shined on the court yet again, scoring 16 points. He was 8-14 from the field, with 8 rebounds and 3 assists. At times he showed some issues which are given for a rookie, but he continues to produce on the floor regardless and the decision to start him was the best decision made by head coach Scott Brooks.
Isaiah Thomas does well in debut
Point guard Isaiah Thomas made his debut for the Washington Wizards in what was a fresh start for him considering he has not played in almost 2 seasons. After checking in for starting point guard Ish Smith, he seemed a bit rusty. But Thomas quickly got rid of that rust, as he scored 16 points in the 20 minutes he played.
He went 6-14 from the field, with 3 rebounds and 5 assists. Brooks limited Thomas' minutes, most likely to ease him back after his injury. For now, it's unclear if he will replace Smith as the starter or will come off the bench.
Refs miss call in critical seconds
With 5.5 seconds left in the game, the Wizards inbounded the ball to Beal. Beal drove forward to the rim in hopes of getting 2 points with a layup and tying the game. He was met with contact from DeMar DeRozan but there was no whistle by any referee and the Wizards lost. Had the call been made, it could have gone to overtime.
What's next?
The Wizards have a 3-day break before they go against the Houston Rockets in their season-opener at home. Tip-off is at 8:00 PM ET at Capital One Arena.
