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The Wizards are off to a 2-0 start vs. the Raptors in their playoff series! That is certainly a key number. However, let's take a closer look at the numbers from the box score and more.
Four Factors numbers for Game 2
WIZARDS FOUR FACTORS | PERIOD | RAPTORS FOUR FACTORS | ||||||
eFG% | TOV% | ORB% | FT/FGA | eFG% | TOV% | ORB% | FT/FGA | |
40.91% | 10.52% | 22.22% | 36.36% | 1st Quarter | 56.52% | 7.12% | 0.00% | 21.74% |
70.45% | 3.90% | 37.50% | 13.64% | 2nd Quarter | 40.00% | 13.39% | 0.00% | 40.00% |
91.18% | 19.26% | 20.00% | 35.29% | 3rd Quarter | 50.00% | 7.78% | 25.00% | 44.44% |
38.89% | 20.80% | 36.36% | 33.33% | 4th Quarter | 60.42% | 10.76% | 20.00% | 8.33% |
59.49% | 13.77% | 30.30% | 29.11% | OVERALL | 53.13% | 9.61% | 12.50% | 26.25% |
To find out how these numbers were calculated, click here to get to Basketball-Reference.
This game was kind of a deja vu from Game 1, where the Wizards fell behind early and gradually built momentum in the second and third quarters. Though the Raptors did try to make things interesting the fourth quarter, the Wizards made buckets keeping this game out of reach. Let's take a look at some of the things we loved to the things we hated in the box score with some simpler numbers.
The Good
The third quarter - The Wizards were already leading by double digits at the start of the third quarter 60-49. However, their effective field goal percentage was 91.18% thanks to the fact that they shot 13 of 17 overall from the field and made five out of their six threes. Take a look at this shot chart and you'll see what this type of shooting performance is like:
D.C.'s young three Top-Three picks - This was the most impressive thing to watch on Tuesday as OTTO PORTER, Bradley Beal, and John Wall combined for 69 points!
Let's first get to Porter, who scored 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting. He also grabbed nine rebounds, four of them from the offensive end. That contributed to a shot chart like this when he made all four of his shots at the basket:
Those corner threes also didn't hurt one bit. For more analysis on Porter beyond these numbers, click here to read Umair's piece where he gets to X's and O's.
Beal led all scorers with 28 points, including 20 in the first half. He scored 16 of those 20 first half points in the second quarter, where he made 7 of 9 shots.
Better yet, take a look at his shot distribution. Only one of those nine shots was from the infamous "long two" range. The good news is that he made that shot too, so I won't complain.
Last, but not least, Wall scored 26 points and dished a franchise playoff-record 17 assists in the game. He only shot 8 of 16 from the field, but still made timely buckets including this dagger to end any hope of an already improbable Raptor comeback:
Good morning, Good afternoon, and Good night Toronto! #dcrising https://t.co/kpFNBkgoN0
— Albert L. (@aleeinthedmv) April 22, 2015
Marcin Gortat's 16 point and eight rebound performance - I could go on and on, but the Polish Machine was a machine in shooting efficiency where he made 7 of his 9 shots.
Holding Toronto to zero offensive rebounds in the first half - I had to double check the box scores for the first and second quarters to make sure that was true. It really wasn't a mistake. The Wizards didn't give the Raptors any offensive rebounds in the first 24 minutes of the game, and ultimately just had five for the game.
The Bad
No one besides John Wall dished more than two assists - This is kind of a reach but at the same time, you do want to see other players besides Wall actively looking to pass the ball to others for easy buckets.
Allowing Toronto to go on some big runs in the fourth quarter - Lou Williams scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and helped cut a 23 point lead into a 10 point lead at one point. Fortunately, the Wizards persevered, but I was a little scared that we were about to see a repeat of what happened in Game 1.
The Ugly
The 14-4 start by the Raptors - The Wizards have been good this year at starting out strong, but finishing weak. They have been able to weather the storm so far, but they need to warm up a bit sooner than they have been over the past couple games. This isn't so ugly with the benefit of hindsight, but slow starts aren't exactly what we want to see.
Moving onto Game Three
The Wizards have set the tone of this series in emphatic fashion by controlling the rebounds, and by making big offensive runs in the second and third quarters. In Game Three, it will be important that they also start out strong in front of the Verizon Center crowd.