Following Friday night’s 113-100 loss to the Cavaliers, the Wizards reiterated how they need to perform better. The team was outscored in three of the four quarters. Just when it looked like they could get ahead of Cleveland, in their multiple opportunities in the second half, they blew it every chance they had.
Washington had 19 total turnovers and only attempted six free throws, of which they made three. In contrast, the Cavaliers were 25-29 from the free-throw line.
Bradley Beal, Rui Hachimura, and Thomas Bryant led the team with 20-plus points performances each. There’s no denying Bryant is having a better season than last year but he also is looking far more comfortable and confident on the floor.
Hachimura’s performances have been up and down in the month of November after scoring in double-figures in his first four October games of the season. The week, he went from scoring 12 on Monday to zero against the Pacers on Wednesday. Then, he dropped 21 points on Friday. His shot attempts have decreased from October to November but in the two games where he scored well, his field goal percentages were 71.4% and 76.9% respectively. We’ve seen high field goal percentages from less shot attempts and the Hachimura has shown that he can score so if he can find a way to be consistent, he’s going to be an even greater asset to Washington.
Defense seems to be an ongoing topic of importance that Coach Scott Brooks and the team realize they need to be better at. This season they’ve only won games where they have kept opponents under 100 points.
After the game, C.J. Miles, Bradley Beal, and Thomas Bryant shared their thoughts on the game and how they need to perform better going forward.