The Washington Wizards did not have Bradley Beal for the fourth time in the past five games. And they were facing the Denver Nuggets, who are second in the West standings. It didn’t matter as Ish Smith dropped a career-high 32 points.
Smith’s career night led the Wizards bench to 92 points to stun the Nuggets 128-114.
It was Smith’s night. He had a marvelous game, doing so with one-three pointer and one-free throw made. The rest was Smith attacking and beating the Nuggets defenders, who seemed a step behind all night.
Smith made 15-of-24 shots from the field. He added a game-high eight assists. To score that many points in a game with just one trey and one free throw was more than impressive.
Following the Wizards’ win, head coach Scott Brooks opened the press conference wanting to talk about his point guard.
Smith got assistance from fellow bench mob member Troy Brown Jr. Brown added 25 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
Isaac Bonga also had a career-high with 15 points off the bench. Anzejs Pasecniks added 13 points off the bench.
The Wizards’ 92 bench points were the second-most in a game since the NBA started tracking starters and bench players scoring, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Wizards bench has been thriving all season. While Washington has been down numerous starters, Brooks has had to mix and match starting lineups. But, the constant has been their bench.
Washington is second in the NBA with 50.1 bench points per game. They only trail the deep Los Angeles Clippers, who feature three-time Sixth Man of the Year, Lou Williams.
The Wizards improved to 11-24 on the season, but they have wins over the Nuggets and Miami Heat in a week’s time. Both wins were by double digits.
Smith’s impressive performance comes a day after Jordan McRae dropped 35 points off the bench against Portland Trailblazers. Washington may not be with all their pieces with injuries across the board. However, they are building depth with a group that take over the game in heap.
