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The Washington Wizards are in the win column once again after beating the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-97. Washington set the tone on defense by forcing Milwaukee to 27 turnovers, and five players scored at least 18 points each, let alone double figures. The win also gives the Wizards a 2-1 record, and a chance to turn extend their winning streak to three games on Tuesday when they play the Knicks on the road.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves, so here are the three things we learned from this game.
1. Otto Porter steps up and has a big second half
After only scoring two points in the first half, Porter scored 19 of his career-high 21 points, where he played alongside the starters, after Paul Pierce's ejection right before the second quarter which was unnecessary. That ejection also came at a point when the Bucks were making a run and closed the first half being down, 49-45 after being down by double digits early.
But as they say in pro basketball, next man up.
When Porter played alongside the starters, he shot 7-of-9 overall, and scored six consecutive Wizards points in the middle of the fourth quarter. On top of all that, Porter remained a nuisance on the defensive end of the floor grabbing loose balls and contesting shots.
All-in-all, his performance rightfully earned him "OT-TO PORTER" chants. You can see the video embedded above, from Amin.
2. John Wall's third quarter performance helped put this game away
After a nightmarish end to the second quarter, Wall led the Wizards to a 34-24 run where he scored 9 points and dished 3 assists. Even more impressive was his defensive performance where he had 4 of his 5 steals. The exclamation point was when he blocked Jarryd Bayless on a jump shot before the shot clock expired with 19 seconds left in the period.
When it was all said and done, Wall scored 19 points and 10 assists, good for his third double-double in all three of the Wizards' games this season.
3. Nene and Marcin Gortat are scary good when they get going
The starting posts had a monster first half with Nene scoring 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting and Gortat adding another 20 points. Not only were they shooting at a very high level, but they also kept Larry Sanders and Jabari Parker from doing much when they were on the floor. Both Nene and Gortat also kept the ball moving where they combined for six assists. Very pleased with their performance tonight.
That's all I have. Time to eat some pancakes.