Yes, the chasm between the Wizards and the best teams in the NBA may be vast. But as young and in-progress as Washington is, it remains more than capable of competing on most nights with the rest of the league. In fact, as head coach Flip Saunders pointed out, his current team might even be better at it than last year’s – and that would include the pre-trade deadline demolition crew, too.
“Those were games last year that we always found a way to lose,” said Saunders. “So it’s nice to get one.”
The Wizards got their 89-86 victory over Memphis through effort, defense, and Kirk Hinrich.
The John Wall Watch (out, still day-to-day, expected to try to practice on Saturday)
Chemistry is developing between Hinrich and Gilbert Arenas. How will Saunders handle it?
The Gilbert Arenas Game (24 points, four assists, five turnovers)
The three-pointer didn’t fall for Arenas against the Grizzlies although he hit his second of the night to give the Wizards an 82-79 lead that they never relinquished (thanks in part to JaVale McGee’s crazy play, documented in the game story). Before that, he hit a long two-pointer that tied the game, 77-77. After each one, he stood still with his shooting hand raised to prove to Hinrich that he’d completed his follow-through properly.
“I blew the play,” said Arenas of the long two-pointer. “I was too lazy to run the play and Kirk got mad at me and passed it anyway. I hit it, and he just gave me that look like, ‘Thank you.’”
But Arenas is increasingly showing his ability to get to the rim and draw contact. In an ugly game like tonight, he had to, and he walked away having hit 8 of 10 free throws.
“There are some shots I think I pass up because I’ve been used to it for the last couple of weeks,” said Arenas, who is still working his right ankle back into shape. “but every day I’m getting more comfortable jumping off the right and left leg. I’m finishing, and I gotta finish a little bit better down the road.”
Ballers
Kirk Hinrich (22 points, 6 assists)
He was an absolute monster in the third quarter just when it was starting to feel like the Wizards were going to let the frustrating offensive performance get to them. As if he were Wall, Hinrich started pushing the ball in transition, attacking the rim and hitting big fadeaway jumpers.
Hinrich also limited the effectiveness of whatever point guard Memphis trotted out.
“He’s a very unique player,” said Saunders. “In the years that I’ve been in the league, I don’t know if there’s another guard in the league that is tougher to screen than he is. He just has a way of getting through screens. He always seems to be there to contest shots. He has a knack, and he takes pride in it. We’re asking him to handle a lot because he ran the show.”
JaVale McGee (10 points, season-high 12 rebounds, 3 blocks)
Apparently, he’s the only thing the Memphis players and coach talked about afterward. But first, Saunders: “I said, JaVale, you had two plays of the game, one when you went crazy and made a mistake and then forgot about quickly and made an unbelievable block.”
Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins: “JaVale McGee had six offensive rebounds and they had 16 for the game, but he was the main culprit. They just did a nice job of using their athleticism. We knew going in that JaVale McGee is doing a great job on the offensive glass.”
Rudy Gay: “He rebounded and got the put-backs at crucial times in the game when they really needed them. He was just big for them. He blocked shots. He’s an athletic freak. He got out there and definitely made an impact on the night. He’s a great player and he’s continuing to get better.”
Marc Gasol: “JaVale does a great job of coming over everybody and tipping or dunking and anything around the rim. It’s hard when you have a player like that. It’s hard to disengage and go help somebody else, but you have to.”
Andray Blatche (17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 turnovers)
There’s been a lot said about him over the last day and a half, and Blatche simply went to work to put it to rest. He worked very hard defending Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, and at the other end of the floor he went to the line six times (converting five attempts), more than he had in any of the previous seven games. His three-point play with 2:53 left in the game helped give Washington that extra bit of cushion it needed down the stretch.
His turnovers still fall into the unforced category, including his final one that led to an easy fast break bucket for Mike Conley that made the game 87-85 with 1:06 to play. Fortunately, it didn’t end up costing the game.
Busts
Trevor Booker (2 points, 4 rebounds)
Another solid rebounding performance was admirable for the rookie. Now it’s time to produce just a little at the other end, but Booker missed four of five shots, including a couple layups in a game where baskets were extremely difficult to come by, and committed a pair of turnovers.
He also left the game midway through the fourth quarter.
“Maybe he was hurt, I hope so,” joked Saunders.
Portrait play
There were two plays in the second half in which the Wizards somehow managed at least two offensive rebounds before finally getting a bucket or a free throw. For a team that has seemingly struggled on the boards since the season began, this was significant.
First, in the third quarter Al Thornton chased down a Nick Young miss before Hinrich chased down Thornton’s miss, and eventually Blatche finished off the play with a midrange jumper.
In the fourth quarter, it was Booker, who tapped out the ball twice in a row – the second time Young had to dive into the second row to make sure it didn’t get out of bounds – and then Cartier Martin pulled down Hilton Armstrong’s miss before Young’s attempted dunk landed him on the line.
Both plays were followed by easy buckets at the other end of the floor for the Grizzlies, probably due to being exhausted from the offensive possession, but that kind of effort hadn’t been there in Boston on Wednesday. It’s a positive sign that the Wizards rediscovered it so quickly.
Stats of the night
18.8 percent – The Wizards’ shooting percentage from three (3 for 16).
21 percent – The combined shooting percentage for O.J. Mayo (1 for 11, 2 points) and Rudy Gay (3 for 8, 11 points). Gay signed an $84 million contract extension over the summer.
