Inside the Numbers: Wizards squeak out a win against Mavericks

It was another all offense, no defense performance for the Wizards, but this time the offense was enough and they pulled out a 119-118 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks were missing MVP candidate Luka Doncic, and had their own passel of defensive miscues, but still nearly had enough to drop the Wizards.

Trade deadline acquisition Shabazz Napier came off the bench in his first action with the Wizards and had an excellent game. Napier, a journeyman PG in the “quick and diminutive” mold Scott Brooks prefers, was having the best season of his career before coming to Washington.

Bradley Beal grabbed headlines with his game-winning layup, and his slash lines — 29 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists — look impressive. But, it took 28 field goal attempts and 4 turnovers over a game-high 39 minutes to produce those points. It was Beal’s first subpar game in a couple weeks, and he still hit the game-winner.

He’s carrying a heavy offensive load, and for the most part doing it well. That said, the Wizards coaching staff should consider easing back on his scoring burden to free up some energy for playmaking and defense. Part of leadership is setting a good example, and Beal — like the rest of the team — needs to play harder and smarter on defense.

Davis Bertans, who will participate in the three-point shooting contest at the upcoming All-Star game, poured in 20 points on 12 shots, including 5-9 from long range. Bertans should be considered the favorite to win the three-point contest.

Four Factors

Player Production Average and Scoreboard Impact Rating

Below are results from a couple metrics I developed. Player Production Average (PPA) is an overall production metric that’s pace neutral and accounts for defense. It rewards players for doing things to help their team and debits them for things that don’t — each in proper proportion. In PPA, 100 is average and higher is better.

Scoreboard Impact Rating (SIR) translates overall production into points on the scoreboard in this game.