How does a team blow a 19-point second half lead? Well, one way is to go cold shooting. The Washington Wizards did that Monday against the Toronto Raptors.
The Wizards led by as many as 19 points. But, in the fourth quarter they went ice cold. THe ball wasn’t going in the hoop, and the Raptors took full advantage with a 19-2 run that helped them take the lead.
Washington’s ice cold shooting opened the door for the dramatic finish that saw Gary Trent Jr. drill an unassisted three at the buzzer to lift the Raptors over the Wizards 103-101.
The Wizards were a dismal 4-of-25 shooting from the field. That included going 1-of-10 from three. Missing 21 shots speaks to their inability to make shots. But, it could it have been more about their inability to get shots for the right people.
Russell Westbrook recorded his 19th triple-double of the season with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Yet, he was just 2-of-11 shooting from the field in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Garrison Mathews and Davis Bertans 10-of-15 from the field, nine of their combined 10 makes were threes. Yet in the second half the pair got just four shots. Each scored 17 points thanks to their hot shooting. But for whatever reasons the Wizards failed to get them the ball.
Following the loss, Westbrook was asked about the discrepancy in shots. Basically, why the Wizards didn’t get more shots for Mathews and Bertans.
On one hand one can understand what Westbrook is trying to say. Mathews and Bertans shots come within the flow of the offense. But on the other hand, what teams don’t try to get open shots for their best shooters?
Yes Bertans is on a minutes restriction after coming back from a calf strain. Mathews for some reason didn’t play much in the second half.
It was clear Mathews and Bertans were the better shooters on the night, especially with Bradley Beal (hip) missing his fifth straight game. The rest of the team shot 27-of-79 (34.2%) from the field. This wasn’t just a case of shots not falling. Mathews and Bertans didn’t get much of a chance to shoot Washington out of their slump.
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks may need to figure out ways to get his hot hands more shots not named Bradley Beal, especially in crunch time. He’ll need do so in a hurry as the Wizards fell to 17-32 on the season with a mere 23 games left on the schedule.
