Beal's 47 not enough in Wizards loss to Pelicans originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Wizards lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 124-106 on Wednesday night. Here are five takeaways from what went down...
Near disaster
In a season that has seen the odds stacked against them in unprecedented ways, Wednesday night figured to be one of the biggest challenges for the Wizards so far. They are missing more than half of their roster due to a Covid-19 outbreak and various injuries, still working their way back into shape after 13 days off and this was the second night of a back-to-back.
Predictably, the Wizards lost. And for a while there, it looked like it would be a disastrous defeat, as they trailed by as many as 26. They found some momentum, however, behind a big night from Bradley Beal and cut it all the way down to eight. New Orleans then pulled away for the win.
Russell Westbrook didn't play in this game due to rest on the second night of a back-to-back. That left Beal to run the show essentially all by himself. He played very well, with 47 points, but it wasn't enough.
The Wizards are now 3-11 on the season, having lost three straight since returning from their six-game absence due to the coronavirus.
Beal woke up
Beal was very frustrated during the Wizards' loss to the Rockets on Tuesday night and you could see it in his body language. He was dejected after misses and turnovers, and after the game was shown on TV with his head in his hands.
In this game, it seemed to carry over early as he had 16 points in the first half, but didn't seem to have his usual burst and energy. In the second half, though, he looked like a completely different player, erupting for 24 points in the third quarter before adding another seven in the fourth.
Beal ended up with 47 points (17-37 FG), six assists, four rebounds and four steals. By catching fire in the third quarter, he basically single-handedly made this a game. The Wizards were going to endure one of their most embarrassing defeats in recent memory, until Beal decided he didn't want that to happen. What a special player.
Lack of scoring
It's good news the Wizards are getting some help soon because it's become clear through these last three games that the remaining players can't score enough to win games. Beal can score, of course, but outside of him, there is no one reliable to turn to for a bucket.
The Wizards scored only 101 points on Sunday against the Spurs, which was a season-low before they scored 88 on Tuesday against the Rockets. In this one, they managed only 106 points, their third-lowest output of the season.
Garrison Mathews was their third-leading scorer with 15 points, while Robin Lopez was third with 14 points. No one else reached double figures. They desperately need Davis Bertans, Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija, in particular, to come back. It sounds like they will as soon as Friday against the Hawks.
First game vs. Zion
The Wizards never played Zion Williamson during his rookie year, as one of their games was scrapped due to the coronavirus cutting the season short and because he sat out their one meeting during the restart bubble in Orlando. In his first game facing the Wizards, he had a big night with 32 points, including 20 in the first half alone, on 12-of-16 shooting.
Everyone knows Williamson does his best work in the paint and around the rim, yet the Wizards couldn't stop him from getting there. He bullied his way through the Wizards' defense and proved far too quick for Wizards centers Lopez and Alex Len. Both guys got into early foul trouble, as they had no prayer of getting stops outside of fouling him hard. Len got a flagrant for doing just that in the fourth quarter.
The plan going in was to have Jordan Bell guard Williamson, as he replaced Anthony Gill in the starting lineup for that purpose. Head coach Scott Brooks thought his quickness would give him a chance, but Bell didn't have much luck, either.
Gill is off to a slow start
Gill was a sharpshooter in the EuroLeague, so the Wizards brought him over in what was one of their first free-agent signings. The hope was he would be able to make a seamless transition given his professional experience and age (28). It is early in his NBA career, but so far we haven't seen it.
Gill went scoreless in 11 minutes against the Pelicans and so far this season has scored just nine points in 57 minutes. The Wizards really could have used more from him these past three games and you wonder when he will get his next opportunity once he's bumped back down the depth chart.
