Bullets Forever - Wizards vs. Trail Blazers: Wizards win fourth straight, beat Blazers 105-97"Ain't No Luck"https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48097/BulletsForever-fv.png2015-03-17T14:44:21-04:00http://www.bulletsforever.com/rss/stream/79894262015-03-17T14:44:21-04:002015-03-17T14:44:21-04:00Bradley Beal's Best Game Back
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IzwNDaG_PsvwMMUUjC__CRZzibE=/0x0:2423x1615/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45919296/usa-today-8452069.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Injuries have hampered Bradley Beal all season - and he hasn't quite looked his best, playing rather mum offensively. Monday's performance showed him back at his best.</p> <p><span>Bradley Beal's</span> return to the <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Washington Wizards</a> has coincided with their return to winning basketball — though his play on the offensive end of the court has not necessarily be a reason why.</p>
<p>Going into Monday night, the Wizards had five of six games with Beal back; however, he had only shot above 50 percent once and appeared hesitant in utilizing his elite ability to convert from beyond the arc. In a showdown with one of the best teams in the NBA, Beal returned to form in impressive fashion: 23 points on just 13 shots, with 7 assists and 4 rebounds in a 105-97 win against the Portland Trailblazers.</p>
<p>This wasn't a case of Beal over performing on the midrange game that he has become too reliant on, either. The Wizards shooting guard scored 19 of his 23 points at the line, from three-point range and from the foul line. When he was running plays inside the three-point line, he opted to set his teammates up rather than shoot contested shots and in turn showed some of the playmaking ability that is starting to separate him from the standard issue spot up shooting guard.</p>
<p>Beal hit all four of his three-pointers on the night. Furthermore, several of his makes displayed an aggressiveness from that range that had been lacking recently. Consider the following two plays. On the first, Beal uses Drew Gooden's screen to create space, then takes a step back three-pointer off the dribble (which he converts).</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eiJyS3UT-Ss" height="510" width="854"></iframe></p>
<p>With the next shot, Beal doesn't find his shot immediately off <span>John Wall's</span> pass. He waits, steps in with his right foot and squares up for a good look at the basket (that he also converts).</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2Raru90cnLM" height="510" width="854"></iframe></p>
<p>Taking shots like these are essential to put pressure on the defense, forcing them to deal with Beal's efficient shooting from deep.</p>
<p>Wizards head coach <span>Randy Wittman</span> was quite pleased with the play from his third-year shooting guard: "His confidence level is back a little bit. I thought at the beginning of the last game he was wavering a little bit, he was hesitant. I just told him, 'Go out and play. Don't think about anything, don't think about a missed shot or mistake.'</p>
<p>Getting into seams, dropping passes off...That's what he can do. He's not just a jump shooter. He's gotta put pressure on the defense when they chase him off screens, gets into seems, get the big to convert, if the big doesn't convert, get to the basket."</p>
<p>This was Beal's ninth game scoring 20 or more point game in his 49th appearance of the season. He had 22 such games in 73 appearances last season and 13 in 56 appearances in his rookie campaign. Clearly, the injuries that have hampered Beal's season has prevented the sort of breakout season that Wizards fans were hoping for after the 2014 playoffs.</p>
<p>Beal acknowledged that his play recently had not been up to his own standards, saying after the victory over Portland, "I know I haven't been playing well ever since I came back, I just needed to get my rhythm back and my feet back underneath me."</p>
<p>He credited his teammates for "continuing to yell at me" to shoot more and keep his confidence up. Even after his strong performance over Portland, Beal said his teammates thought he passed up too many shots during the game.</p>
<p>As much as it seems unfair to quibble with such a strong performance, which saw Beal post a team high +19 (no other Wizard start was above +3) and a team low defensive rating, you can see why his teammates yell at him to shoot it more. Take the following clip for example:</p>
<p><iframe width="854" height="510" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rfjnSr3dZEc" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Sometimes it's good to pass up a good shot for a great shot but as far as this team goes — other than a wide open look at the rim — there is no better shot. After all, Beal <i>is</i> a 46 percent three-point <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://on.nba.com/1CSek2B">shooter on the right side</a> of the floor.</p>
<p>Portland's Terry Stotts, coach of a team that hoists the fourth most three-pointers per game in the NBA, summed up his thoughts on three-point shooting quite simply prior to the game: "Philosophically I'm very much in favor of good three-point shooters taking a lot of threes."</p>
<p>The Wizards, who are one of only three teams with two starters in the top 20 in three-point shooting percentage (Golden State and Atlanta are the other two), could use a few more of these <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/the-wizards-are-slumping-and-shorthanded-can-they-reverse-course/2015/02/26/90cc9f32-bdeb-11e4-b274-e5209a3bc9a9_story.html">vital shots</a> from their best threat from deep.</p>
<p>So though John Wall is plenty enough to carry this team into the playoffs, he'll certainly need his back court running mate Bradley Beal repeat his play from Monday as the season ends and the postseason begins. And if Beal can step up and continue play well against the rest of the Wizards' opponents the way he did Monday against one of the NBA's best, their ceiling looks much higher than it did just a few weeks ago.</p>
https://www.bulletsforever.com/2015/3/17/8229025/beal-back-washingtons-shooting-guard-returns-to-form-against-portland-lillardNick Bilka2015-03-16T22:03:33-04:002015-03-16T22:03:33-04:00Wiz use 25-point lead to beat Blazers
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EgOfisbN4yrYPPrrQItngZuiv78=/0x0:3836x2557/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45912110/usa-today-8452072.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Wizards built up a 25-point lead against Portland, and needed some late three-point shooting to hang on and pick up their fourth straight win. </p> <p>Yes? Hello? Are you all out there? Still breathing? That was a close one.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Wizards</a> came oh-so-close to blowing a 25-point lead, letting it dwindle to just three at one point, but held on in the fourth quarter to defeat the <a href="https://www.blazersedge.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Trail Blazers</a>, who came into this one 8-1 in their past nine games despite missing <span>Wesley Matthews</span>.</p>
<p>I'm not even going to give you the "things we learned" portion of this recap, because there was seriously just so much going on here.</p>
<p>Plus, I'm still recovering from this Nene dunk.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://vine.co/v/OVnm3ijIXB7/embed/simple" width="600" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<script src="https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script>
</p>
<p>I was close to listening "To Pimp a Butterfly" all the way through for the sixth time today after the first half, waiting to mail this one in.</p>
<p>Things got really out of hand for Portland when they failed to score in the final 2:51 of the first half. Throughout the first two quarters, the Wizards did a great job of closing out on the Trail Blazers' shooters, preventing them for raining the threes they usually pour in, even without Matthews.</p>
<p><span>Ramon Sessions</span> played some solid defense on <span>Damian Lillard</span>, and Gortat was a monster down low once again, grabbing seven rebounds.</p>
<p>In the third quarter, things got cold. Ice cold. There was hardly any movement on offense. No one was cutting to the hoop, and most of the shots the Wizards were taking were contested jumpers (no surprise there).</p>
<p>During the first 3:52 of the fourth quarter, Washington's only two points came off of two free throws from Nene. But all of a sudden, something clicked. The starting five actually started working like a cohesive unit again.</p>
<p><span>Bradley Beal</span> and <span>Paul Pierce</span> were sinking threes, and the Wizards managed to hang out despite failing to make the same defensive stops they were making in the first half.</p>
<p>Now, the Wizards have won four games in a row, and in my book, they're out of their slump.</p>
<p>Washington actually hung on to a big lead for once (for the most part), and these big wins come at a great time, considering the Wiz have to go on a four-game road swing now on the West Coast.</p>
<p>But enough about the future, here's some other interesting notes from tonight:</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Portland finished the game shooting 28.6 percent from beyond the arc tonight. It came into this game sixth in the league in team three-point percentage, and made the third most threes per game. </span></li>
<li><span><span>John Wall</span> finished the game with 21 points, and now has 20-plus points in four out of the seven games he's played in March. Go ahead, Wallstar. </span></li>
<li><span><span>Marcin Gortat</span> did Marcin Gortat things again, finishing the game with nine rebounds, a block and 16 points. He's averaging 15.2 points per game this month. </span></li>
<li><span>Damian Lillard shot just 5-for-18 from the floor, in part due to great defense from Wall and Sessions. Since joining the Wizards, Sessions has a defensive rating of 104, according to <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/sessira01.html">Basketball-Reference.com</a>, which is way down from his 113 rating he had with the <a href="https://www.sactownroyalty.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Kings</a>.</span></li>
</ul>
https://www.bulletsforever.com/2015/3/16/8228629/wizards-almost-blow-25-point-lead-win-fourth-straightJon Munshaw2015-03-16T20:47:44-04:002015-03-16T20:47:44-04:00Nene had twins last week
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pGKUghJswrtIkQlBmT5Lz62LzyM=/0x0:2284x1523/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45911566/usa-today-8434428.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Congratulations Nene!</p> <p>Last week, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Washington Wizards</a> forward Nene missed two games due to "personal reasons." Fortunately, they weren't due to injury or a family emergency. He had twins last Thursday:</p>
<p>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Nene out again for Wizards following birth of twins this week. Also no Humphries or Temple. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WizardsTalk?src=hash">#WizardsTalk</a></p>
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) <a href="https://twitter.com/BenStandig/status/576855628267786240">March 14, 2015</a>
</blockquote>
<p>I didn't want to make light of it until after things were official, so sorry for the delayed notice on this one. But nevertheless, congratulations Nene on being a proud dad!</p>
https://www.bulletsforever.com/2015/3/16/8228157/nene-missed-games-due-to-having-twinsAlbert Lee2015-03-16T12:06:06-04:002015-03-16T12:06:06-04:00Preview: Wiz close homestand vs. Blazers
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WskM3Yu_7h-7HmUv98xnjGsAbxg=/117x0:2318x1467/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45907990/usa-today-7712561.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Portland has been hot - and is looking to stay that way. Washington has not been but has some of its swagger back. Who has the advantage tonight?</p> <p>Led by two All Star point guards, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/">Wizards</a> and Blazers walked away from All Star weekend and into the second half of the NBA season ready to go.</p>
<p>However, the two teams took different paths.</p>
<p>Since the first game back from the break for Washington, the team has gone 5-7. Portland has gone 8-3.</p>
<p>Washington's <span>John Wall</span> and Portland's Damian Lillard are two of the league's most exciting players, leading two teams only recently blessed with postseason appearances and looking to make sure this season ends hot.</p>
<p><b>When and where?</b> Catch it live on CSN Washington at 7 p.m. (EST) or join the #radioparty on 99.1 FM.</p>
<p><b>Who's out? </b><span>Garrett Temple</span> is day to day, <span>Kris Humphries</span> remains out for the Wizards. Wesley Matthews is out for the Blazers, while <span>Joel Freeland</span> and <span>Alonzo Gee</span> are day to day.</p>
<p><b>Blazin' Blazers? </b>Winners of eight of their last nine, they are now third place in the tough Western Conference. At 44-20, they're 20-6 against the Eastern Conference. They do just about everything a team needs to do to be considered elite in the NBA: 102.9 points per game (8th), 46 rebounds per game (2nd), 22.2 assists per game (9th) and 97.5 points allowed per game (9th). Even without Matthews, they've continued to dominate - a key part of their success coming from better play of <span>Nicolas Batum</span>, who is shooting 51 percent from the floor his last 10 games, averaging 12.7 ppg, 6.9 rebounds per game and 5.9 assists per game.</p>
<p><b>Willful Wizards?</b> You've heard this song and dance before: The Wizards were good, then they were awful, now they're doing a lot better. Sure, the problems that existed for the Wizards during their sad January and February slump are still there, but they've certainly turned things around. Two weeks ago, they were struggling to hold the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brewhoop.com/">Milwaukee Bucks</a> off from taking their fifth place spot in the Eastern Conference ... Now, they are just one game behind the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.raptorshq.com/">Toronto Raptors</a> for the third seed. As assumed, a lot of that has to do with Wall getting the pep back in his step - but the Wizards' bench play has been good as well.</p>
<p><b>Point Gawds?</b> You know I love focusing on the point guard play, so of course I have to bring up John Wall vs. Damian Lillard. Both represented by Adidas, their style of play is different - yet yields the same results. In the first game of the season between the two, Wall (25 points on 10/17 shooting and 9 assists) out-played Lillard (20 points on 5/13 shooting and 7 assists) - but Portland took the W after a second half comeback. Wall assists and creates plays a bit more than Lillard, who scores and rebounds better than Wall. Seeing the two close friends match up tonight in the last game between the two teams will be one of this season's best.</p>
<p><b>Upcoming?</b> With under 20 games left to go in the regular season, Washington is on its way to the West Coast after tonight's game - Utah, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Golden State are the opponents for the next week. Time to get working, fellas.</p>
<p><b>Home vs. Away?</b> Washington is 24-10 at home. Portland is 16-14 on the road. Advantage... Wizards? We'll see.</p>
https://www.bulletsforever.com/2015/3/16/8225185/washington-wizards-portland-trail-blazers-nba-previewKelly Cohen