The Washington Wizards were on the cusp of mounting their first fourth quarter comeback of the season. Momentum was starting to work in their favor. But that all changed with one no call from the officials. When Spencer Dinwiddie attacked the basket, he appeared to have a relatively open lane to the basket. He got a step on his defender and was able to get the ball up on the backboard. Regardless of what basketball league you play in, once the ball hits the backboard on a layup attempt a player cannot touch it. Unfortunately for the Wizards, the officials missed a goaltending call that would have increased the momentum the Wizards had been building.
That non call was the defining moment of the game. The Wizards committed a few fouls shortly after, and were never able to fully recover. Bradley Beal led the way for the Wizards with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Although he is known for his scoring, Beal made an impact on the defensive end. He was able to get a few defensive stops when guarding Raptors’ guard Fred Vanvleet. The Wizards ended up losing the game, but Beal’s defense on Vanvleet on a few possessions gave the Wizards a fighting chance late in the fourth quarter.
With a 109-100 loss to the Toronto Raptors, the Wizards fall to 5-3 on the season. With back to back loses to the Atlanta Hawks and the Toronto Raptors, the Wizards are now on their first losing streak of the season.
Star of the Game
Fred VanVleet led all scorers with a game high 33 points, shooting an efficient 13-22 from the field. VanVleet played a game high 43 minutes and led all players in the plus/minus stat with a +15
Biggest Concern
The biggest concern is three point shooting by far. At least in my opinion. For the second game in a row, the Wizards had a really difficult time finding their rhythm from behind the arc. As a team, Washington shot 8-25 from behind the arc against Toronto. In the previous game against Atlanta, Washington shot 13-39 from behind the arc. We are only 8 games into the season, so it’s not time to panic yet. But if you go that cold as a team, it is very hard to win games.
Surprise Contribution
Raul Neto doubled his season average of 7.3 points per game against the Raptors, scoring 14 points off the bench. Neto was efficient offensively, shooting 5-8 from the field and 2-4 from the three point line. I wouldn’t say that Neto’s performance was a surprise. Wizards fans have seen Neto produce well in his role during his time in Washington. But his 14 points played a huge part in the Wizards getting 44 points from the second unit.
Next Game
Vs Memphis Grizzlies on November 5th at 7:00PM Eastern
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