The Washington Wizards only need one win in the last three games or a Chicago Bulls loss to clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, the Wizards were less than one minute away from securing their a play-in spot.
Leading 116-114, Russell Westbrook drove to the basket for a layup that would have extended their lead. However, Hawks center Clint Capela stepped up to force Wesetbrook to alter his shot. Trae Young turned Westbrook’s miss into a 5-on-3 fast break as Wizards center Alex Len fell down.
Young found John Collins for the go-ahead corner three that put Atlanta up 117-116 with 24.4 seconds remaining.
The Wizards still have a couple of more chances. But, Raul Neto missed a floater. After a pair of free throws made by Solomon Hill, the Wizards still were trailing by one possession 119-116. However, Davis Bertans missed the potential game-tying three sealing the outcome of the game.
The Wizards’ loss negates another spectacular night from Westbrook. He came out blazing scoring 25 points in the first half, surpassing Larry Bird for 35th on the NBA all-time scoring list with the monster half. After shooting 8-of-14 from the field in the first half, Westbrook struggled shooting 4-of-14 i the second half and was limited to nine points. He added 15 assists to go along with his game-high 34 points.
It was the second straight game Westbrook was unable to come through in crucial moment. He missed the game-winning three at the buzzer in Monday’s close loss to the Hawks.
Washington’s leading scorer Bradley Beal missed his second straight game with a left hamstring strain. He’ll be evaluated Friday to see if he could go against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Washington (32-38) now has a 2.5 game lead over the Bulls for 10th and the final play-in spot in the East. Despite the missed opportunity to get in, the Wizards only need to win one of their final two games to clinch a play-in berth. They could also get by the Bulls losing any one of their final three games (Toronto Raptors on Thursday, at Brooklyn Nets on Saturday and at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday).
