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We are less than a week away from Thanksgiving and are one month into the regular season. Let’s get right to it.
Wizards get on a four-game win streak, only to see it snapped by Miami
The Wizards went on a four-game winning streak to make up some lost ground in the Eastern Conference. They started with a 111-95 win over the Lakers at home on November 9, followed by a 113-94 win over the Hawks last Saturday. Last Monday, Washington beat the Kings 110-92 to close out their homestand before a home and home series against the Miami Heat.
The Wizards for whatever reason seem to have trouble when they play against the Heat. Last season, they were swept by Miami in the regular season even though they won the Southeast Division. It looked like the Wizards were about to continue losing to them last Wednesday in South Beach, but fortunately, they ended up with a 102-93 victory.
Washington had to face the Heat again on Friday, and lost 91-88, though the game wasn’t quite as close as the final score indicated. The Heat raced to an early double digit lead in the first half, which the Wizards were able to come back from, but it just wasn’t enough. After the game, Wall said he played the game with a knee injury, but indicated that it was due to a fluid buildup from IV treatments. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious.
The Wizards are now 9-6, or fourth in the Eastern Conference. We expected to see the Wizards in the upper half of the Eastern Conference, but I don’t think most expected to see the Pistons in second place.
The starters continue to do well while the bench? Not so much.
John Wall, especially over the four-game win streak, had an individual defensive rating of 91.6 points per 100 possessions, which is outstanding. That rate was better than every other starter, and second to only Ian Mahinmi. If there’s one statistical element of Wall’s game that has taken off this season, it’s his shot blocking. Wall could have more blocks than any other guard over the course of an NBA season at his current pace. However, I’ll also add that Wall’s blocks aren’t just great stats, his blocks often end culminate with extra Wizards possessions.
Markieff Morris is also doing very well when he started off with strong performances during the win streak. His performances have become a bit inconsistent after the Kings game, but it’s still great to see that he’s back after missing the fist few games of this season with a sports hernia injury.
Ian Mahinmi on the other hand, isn’t doing so great. He has played most of the wizards’ games this season, but he has a very limited offensive game, is quite turnover prone, and is vulnerable in “small-ball” lineups. Ben Mehic wrote earlier this week that it may be a better idea to put Jason Smith in the rotation ahead of him.
Otto has a Porter
According to Scott Allen of The Washington Post, a brewery in St. Louis decided to name a porter after one of their locally grown basketball stars. For those of you who are not sure what a “porter” beer is, it is a dark beer made of brown malt. They originated from the United Kingdom.
The beer, produced by Kirkwood Station Brewing Company, is called “Lord Otto’s Porter.” If you are of age (21 or older in the USA or 18 in Canada/Mexico/Most EU nations), it’s only available on draft at the brewery itself. Bummer.
Mike Scott loves his hockey jerseys
The reserve forward has a sweater for EVERY NHL team. If there’s one thing we have to ask of him, please don’t wear a Penguins jersey to Capital One Arena when those guys from Pittsburgh are also playing the Capitals! SB Nation’s (and BF alumnus) Satchel Price has more.
And more links
- Jen Smith of Wiz of Awes wrote about keeping the early season Eastern Conference standings in perspective.
- Conor Dirks of Truth About It wrote about Bradley Beal’s transformation as a scorer this season.
- Emma Meesseman is dominating like hell during the EuroBasket Women 2019 qualifiers last week. We’ll give another update on other Mystics players as well.
That’s all I have in this past week of links. If there’s another one you’d like to share, feel free to do so in the comments or as a FanPost. Enjoy the start to your weekends!