How did Isaiah Thomas go off against the Washington Wizards?

How was Isaiah Thomas able to do whatever he wanted against the Washington Wizards' defense on Monday night? We go to the tape to assign blame.

Kings vs. Wizards recap roundup: Isaiah Thomas was licking his chops

Rounding up reaction to the Kings' 96-94 victory over the Wizards on Monday night.

Bradley Beal injury: Wizards' G insists wrist was 'fine'

WASHINGTON -- Bradley Beal played just 24 minutes in the Washington Wizards' 96-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings, and he didn't look all that good during that time. He ended up sitting for good with four minutes left in the fourth quarter in Washington's defeat.

Beal, of course, has been bothered by a wrist injury since suffering a hard fall 10 days ago in a win over the Denver Nuggets. After the game, though, he insisted that he was not hurt.

"My wrist was fine. It was tonight anyway," he said.

"It didn't affect me tonight. That's not the reason I didn't play," he said later. "I'm just going to talk to the trainers, talk to my agent, everything like that, and see how it feels. It's going to be my decision regardless."

Beal said he wasn't sure why he got taken out. In his postgame press conference, though, Randy Wittman said he took him out because his wrist didn't look good.

"I thought he was hurt. I didn't see the comfort level out there," Wittman said. "I think the wrist is bothering him. I don't know if he got it hit, because I haven't spoken to him. I don't know if it got jammed again. I think it's bothering him, there's no question about it. I just went in a different direction."

Wittman was asked whether it might make sense for Beal to sit out due to the injury.

"We'll have to see where he's at. Is it worse? Is it better? Is it the same? Obviously, if it's getting worse, it's not going to do him any good [to play]," Wittman said.

Isaiah Thomas' buzzer beater leads to confusion in Wizards' locker room

The Wizards were victimized by an Isaiah Thomas buzzer beater, and afterwards, they couldn't properly explain what happened.

Kings vs. Wizards final score: Isaiah Thomas sinks Washington

Isaiah Thomas' game-winning floater with one second left gave the Kings a 96-94 win over the Wizards at the Verizon Center.

Kings vs. Wizards game time, TV schedule and open thread

Discuss the game here.

Keith Smart: Injury helped John Wall become a 'student' of the game

WASHINGTON -- Count Sacramento Kings coach Keith Smart as one person who thinks John Wall's stress injury will ultimately be beneficial to his long-term development. Here's his response when I asked him what he's noticed about Wall that's different from his first two years in the league.

"Sometimes when you get hurt you concentrate on other parts of your game. Before, he just used all of his blazing speed, try to beat people with his speed. He never relied on his jump-shooting or anything else, or just trying to think the game from a true point guard perspective. I think when you get hurt, you can't run right now, so you become a student. It slows you down and starts getting you to understand how to play the game from a mental standpoint."

"Not that he wasn't before, but now he was forced to do that. Coming back from rehab, doing light practicing, he didn't have all he had. Now, the game becomes a thinking game. When that happens, it opens the door for a big jump with him coming back. ... He can undersand how to really be a point guard."

"I'm sure Sam Cassell is thinking, 'Finally! Something got your attention.' [He] can now focus on running a basketball team and not just using [his] speed to run by people all the time."

Game thread on the way...

DeMarcus Cousins gave John Wall his space during injury recovery

With the Wizards set to square off against the Kings on Monday night, it's a reminder of the friendship that John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins have from their days at Kentucky. Cowbell Kingdom's Jonathan Santiago resurfaces a quote about how much the two communicated during Wall's injury this year.

When Wall was fighting to come back from injury, Cousins said he reached out to his former teammate. He maintains that he didn't force the issue, knowing that Wall had the wherewithal to weather the storm on his own.

"We don't really have to talk much," Cousins said of his relationship with Wall following the Kings' 95-94 win over the Wizards in Sacramento. "I mean, I kind of know where his mind is when he's in a time like that. I've been around him enough to know."

Wall, of course, was very much in Cousins' ear as he struggled through all his problems with the Kings, Sean Elliot and others. The two clearly have very different temperaments, and that probably explains their bond.

Randy Wittman: X-Rays revealed nothing with Beal's wrist

For those (like me) that were worried the Wizards were having Bradley Beal play through a potentially serious injury, it looks like those fears can be allayed. After shootaround, coach Randy Wittman said the team did have Beal go in for an X-Ray:

"He's still got some soreness, but he's playing through it," Wittman said, via WashingtonWizards.com. "We've done all the X-rays and everything on it. There's nothing there."

Beal was spotted with a soft cast on the wrist following the team's game against the Chicago Bulls.

Wizards vs. Kings Preview: Wizards host Sacramento for possibly the last time

The Wizards look for their third straight win as they face the Sacramento Kings at Verizon Center. Is this the last time they will play the Wizards as the "Sacramento" Kings?