The Washington Wizards were well on the way to a runaway win over the Houston Rockets. However, a pair of mental gaffes by rookie Deni Avdjia drew the ire of Wizards star Bradley Beal.
As the final seconds ticked away, Rui Hachimura was dribbling out the clock, when Avdija raised his hand to indicate he wanted the ball. For whatever reasons, Hachimura threw the ball to the rookie. However, Avdija inexplicably walked away as the ball was in mid air.
The ball went out of bounds, causing a turnover. Immediately, teammate Garrison Mathews threw his hands up Avdija. The reaction by Drew Gooden, who was doing the Wizards commentary, says it all. “Oh my god!”
Yet, that wasn’t the worst of his decisions. As the Rockets inbound the ball, Avdija played the ball and committed a foul with 1.2 seconds.
That’s when Bradley Beal had seen enough. He yelled his displeasure with the bizzarre sequence from the bench.
As the game finally ended, and players walked off the court, Beal was still chirping.
Fortunately, Avdija just held up the formality of a 131-119 win for Washington. But long-term picture, it was understandable why Beal would be so upset. Surely, it will be a teaching moment for the Israeli rookie.
