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- Let's not bury the lede: here's JaVale McGee's slam on Josh Smith. As Michael Lee points out in his recap for Wizards Insider, the dunk was the highlight of a more intense effort from the Wizards last night.
- As far as analysis, let's start with Truth About It's breakdown of the individual highs and lows from tonight's game. I especially recommend checking out Kyle's spot on points about John Wall and Andray Blatche.
- Michael Lee chronicled Wall's improvement from the first half to the second half, in his recap for the Post, particularly in the shooting department.
- Flip Saunders had some high praise for Al Thornton's play at the end of the game, as reported by Dave Johnson:
Al Thornton benefitted from several of those Wall assists and was instrumental in helping the Wizards set a competitive tone and build an early lead. Thornton finished with 24 points and it was his slam dunk in transition off a Wall pass that gave the Wizards a 25-16 lead with 1:08 to go in the first quarter. "I think he is the best shape he has been in a couple of years," Saunders noted. "He has made a real commitment to himself. We always say never let your conditioning get in the way of your talent. He is giving himself a chance to succeed."
That's some pretty high praise coming from Flip Saunders. With more performances like the one he had last night, he'll make it tough for Josh Howard to work his way back into the starting lineup.
- For perspective from the other side, check out SB Nation Atlanta, Peachtree Hoops, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Hawks Blog.