Wright may have underestimated himself on the last point. He fielded Wednesday as if he didn’t miss the game.
The Wizards have a three-game winning streak. 127-102 We’ll beat the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. They made it without Bradley Beal (a sore left hamstring), a win that Wright reminded the Wizards of how valuable he is.
Later, when Kyle Kuzma was asked on the court how Washington turned a 10-game losing streak into this promising stretch, his answer was short, “Deron Wright. We got Deron Wright back. ”
Wizards got off to a good start, but also 8 days ago in Phoenixwhen they gave up a 17-point lead in the third quarter, they saw their first-half 19-point lead sorted to four near the end of the third quarter.
With 1:02 remaining, Wright set up Deni Avdija for a dunk, followed by a deflection and a fastbreak steal, resulting in a three-point play. He stole the ball from Chris Paul, who has his sixth-highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA, and over Washington (15-21) he took a 93-84 lead and dominated the fourth quarter. . 34-18.
“I felt like I had to do something to help the team,” Wright said. “Stealing is always useful.”
Wes Unseld Jr. Coach said: His defensive ability, size, athleticism — he has great feel and timing. He cuts the deflection and finds a way to get to loose balls… those are plays with momentum. In my opinion, he single-handedly changed that stretch. “
Wright, who broke the winning streak in the first game, finished Wednesday with just 3 points, 1 rebound, 3 steals and 3 assists in 15 minutes. Convincing victory over PhiladelphiaIn that game, Wright pestered James Harden and ran around the court to contest shots with his sharp defensive know-how that his teammates raved about.
“For me [injured and] Watching the game, I’ve seen little things the team could do better, like playing in the passing lane, playing aggressively in the passing lane,” Wright said. “So I felt like I got it. I need to do better.” [in that area]and I feel like I’m doing it.
Wednesday was a big night for the bench. Rui Hachimura led the Wizards with a career-high 30 points and five rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis had 22 points and six rebounds, while Kuzma had 22 points and seven assists.
“With Brad out tonight, we knew we had to be more aggressive on the attacking side because we have to score,” Hachimura said. “I was trying to be more efficient.
The Wizards owned the paint to start the first half, shooting sharply and rebounding well to take a 19-point lead in the second quarter. Daniel Gafford helped set the tone to stay active and energetic. In the game, Washington shot 57.3% of his. DeAndre Ayton led the Suns (20-16) with 31 points and Paul with 20 points, but they would have had to have Devin Booker out for at least four weeks with a strained groin.
The Wizards lost their Star Guard, but it doesn’t matter. Another guard stepped up to lead his team to another victory.
Here’s what else you should know about the Wizards win.
The beer was a mid-match decision. He tested his hamstrings during the pre-match warm-up and seemed much more sluggish than usual — he mostly stood near the basket or at the free-throw line and pushed his left foot out during shooting. It looks like they were testing if they could — Won’t play before Wizards announced him.
Asked if Beal had an imaging test after reports from The Athletic indicated he had an MRI, Unseld said, “He’s been fully evaluated.”
After suffering an injury late in the fourth quarter on Tuesday, Beal was visibly shaken, tugging and snapping his headband in frustration. He returned to the court on Dec. 18 after missing six games with a strained right hamstring. coronavirus.
“I think you can tell by his body language that he’s frustrated,” said Unseld. “He wants to go out there and help him create his own rhythm and every few games he plays it feels like something is haunting him. I understand.”
Even without Beale, Unseld kept the rotation short until the final 1:58, clearing the bench. Last season Denver’s starter Wing He Will He Barton did not play in two games in a row. Backup guard Jordan Goodwin and forward Anthony Gill only appear during garbage time.
Gafford scored 10 of 14 points in the first half and spent most of his time defending against Ayton. Gafford also had eight rebounds in 25 minutes.
The crowd was escorted out of the Capital One Arena late in the fourth quarter. A security guard asked a fan who was sitting on the floor next to Phoenix’s bench to leave before the two had a brief altercation and police officers arrived.
