Remember the hot start the Wizards were on to start the season? It’s not a distant memory, but I would love for the team to get back to playing that level of basketball as soon as possible. To be fair though, they were playing the Suns who are arguably the best team in the NBA right now. But even so, your starting lineup shouldn’t only have two players who scored in double figures. Kyle Kuzma scored only 4 points in 26 minutes. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope only scored 9 points in 28 minutes. Daniel Gafford didn’t score at all.
If a team is getting that type of production from 3 out of the 5 members in the starting lineup, it’s going to be tough to win. You would need your best player to have a big scoring night in order to make up the points you would normally get from the starting lineup. Beal had a solid game, scoring 26 points on 11 for 18 shooting from the field. But with him and Aaron Holiday (11 points) being the only two in the starting lineup who scored in double figures, 26 points just wasn’t enough.
Washington’s bench played well against Phoenix, scoring 48 points. But Phoenix simply had a more balanced attack on Thursday night. Every starter for Phoenix scored in double figures, and their bench scored 54 points. It was just too much for Washington to overcome.
With a 118-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns, the Washington Wizards are now 15-15 on the season. It’s not panic time quite yet for Wizards fans, as there is still plenty of time to turn the season around. But a 15-15 record is as mediocre of a record as it gets, and Wizards fans have grown tired of mediocrity.
Star of the Game
Deandre Ayton is the star of the game, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Ayton outscored Daniel Gafford 15 to 0, and limited Gafford to only 5 rebounds.
Biggest Concern
I don’t understand how the Wizards consistently struggle on offense when they have depth. There are players that can shoot. Players who can get their own shot off the dribble. But game after game, we see the Wizards struggle to find the rhythm on offense. Sure the Suns are a good defensive team, but if the Wizards are truly a good team, they should have figured it out on offense. That’s what good teams do. They figure it out.
Their offense is something Washington really needs to figure out as they head into 2022. Washington has a 2-7 record for the month of December. Things can start to go south quickly if they don’t figure it out.
Surprise Contribution
No surprise contribution for the Wizards
Next Game
Jazz won the last meeting against the Wizards 123-98
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Wizards lose fourth straight game Wizards lose fourth straight game Wizards lose fourth straight game
