Soon after it was reported that John Wall did not suffer structural damage to his knee after a knee injury on Sunday, the Wizards had a double-digit win over the Heat Monday, winning 114-103. Since they were winning after the end of the first quarter AND scored over 100 points in the victory, you can get an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's for free and you also have 50 percent off your pizza at Papa John's.
Let's get to some videos, links, and more.
Postgame Video
Randy Wittman's postgame video is embedded above. Other players' videos are below:
Recaps
Here are some recaps on the game from around the web:
Roll Call
72 users commented 1,024 times in our first half, second half, and postgame threads. Here's how you all did:
Some Great Comments
John Wall scored 26 points on 9 of 13 shooting in the game. He also dished 7 assists and only turned the ball over two times. This pair of comments more or less sums up how glad we are to see that Wall is getting his groove back
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Gary Neal erupted for 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting in last night's game. He has also scored in double figures for each of his last three games. In fact, Neal scored in double figures when he plays at least 20 minutes. Since he was been a spark of energy for the Wizards last night -- and this season -- this photoshop is pretty fly.
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Pancakes
We'll get back to an East Asian pancake after Monday's win. Here's a recipe on a Korean hoddeok via maangchi.com. These pancakes are thick and filled with brown sugar. Had many of these when I was a kid. Also, here's a YouTube video on how to make them:
The meaning of the Wizards' win and looking ahead
The Wizards' win last night was definitely much-needed. Washington came into this game with an 8-10 record, worst in the Southeast Division. If they lost, they would have ended up four games behind the division-leading Heat. They also would lose ground in an Eastern Conference that has performed stronger than expected since 10 teams are over .500.
That said, Washington won, and it helps them stay in the pack of the Eastern Conference which is quite bunched up at the moment. The eighth-seeded Boston Celtics are just 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers who are at the top of the conference.
The win is also a major boost for them since each of their next five games will be against Western Conference teams who made the playoffs last season:
| Date | Opponent | Record |
| Wednesday, December 9 | vs. Houston Rockets | (10-11) |
| Friday, December 11 | at New Orleans Pelicans | (5-16) |
| Saturday, December 12 | at Dallas Mavericks | (13-9) |
| Monday, December 14 | at Memphis Grizzlies | (12-9) |
| Wednesday, December 16 | at San Antonio Spurs | (18-4) |
With the exception of the Pelicans -- who have had injury woes to start the year -- all the other teams on this list are in the thick of the playoff race once again. I'd like to see the Wizards come out 3-2 over the next five games since they would end finish with a .500 record (12-12) after a tough stretch of games.
If they do not perform as well, the Wizards could find themselves farther and farther away from the playoff pack.
That's all I have. Let's get another much-needed win on Wednesday.