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Wizards fall to Blazers, no begging from Wall for free agents

In today's Wake-Up Call, we take a look at last night's frustrating loss to Portland, tonight's matchup in Denver, and why John Wall won't beg for anybody's service.

By Ryan Gracia Jan 25, 2015, 12:07pm EST

1. Wizards lose another winnable game, 103-96, in Portland

The Wizards had a 14-point first-half lead. They struggled late and lost it. Sounds familiar, right? That's the same thing that happened earlier this week to Oklahoma City. Is it their lack of a superstar scorer? Should they chalk it up to nerves? Or are they just not as elite as they really want to be?

Whatever the problem, they better figure it out and fix it if they want to make a deep playoff run.

Here are your recaps of the loss:

2. John Wall won't make pitches to Ray Allen

What's more important than worrying about the future and who may or may not join the team in the coming months? Right now. The present. That's what Wall is focusing on rather than thinking about whether Allen will come back from his hiatus and join him in Washington.

3. What's up with the Wizards' late-game struggles?

It's now been two straight times where Washington has dropped games in which they held a double-digit lead at some point. And it's not just a hiccup or bump in an otherwise dominating season. There haven't been many games where the Wizards have finished in dominating fashion and left no doubt about the outcome. The team is reliant upon every single player, rather than one who can put the team on their back and hit big shots, being reliant upon down the stretch. That's big for their chemistry but maybe that's also the problem.

4. Paul Pierce hits 2K

Pierce added another achievement to his already-incredible career. Last night he hit his 2,000th NBA three-pointer, joining Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, and Jason Terry in the 2K Club.

Paul Pierce joins Jason Terry, Reggie Miller & Ray Allen as the only NBA players w/ 2,000 3 point FG’s made. pic.twitter.com/nYPLGy2v2t
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) January 25, 2015

And he knew it right when he hit it, too.

Paul Pierce knew he hit his 2000th three pointer https://t.co/xK4K9N2wN2
— Umair Khan (@UKhanNBA) January 25, 2015

5. Wizards face Nuggets tonight

Following their disappointing loss last night in Portland, the Wizards (29-15) will head to Denver to face the Nuggets (15-25), another NBA TV affair. Denver will once again be without their point guard, Ty Lawson, who was arrested for DUI early Friday morning, but still need to be wary of Jameer Nelson, who will start in his place. This isn't a time for the Wizards to take it easy. They need to step on the gas and run this Denver team off the court. This is a statement game that they need to get themselves back on track.

Tip off is set for 8 p.m. at the Pepsi Center in Denver. You can watch on CSN if local, or NBA TV if you're out of the DMV. You can also listen on 99.1 WNEW.