Young sparkles, but Washington can’t prevent another late collapse
“Fade” describes the best shot in the arsenal of Wizards guard Nick Young. It also tells the tale of the fourth quarter woes of his struggling team. Both were on display Monday night at the Verizon Center.
Despite the best efforts of Young, who scored a career-high 30 points, the Wizards did another fourth quarter el foldo, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks, 97-91, before 13,510.
In a game the Wizards led by as many as 13 points in the second period and 12 in the third, Milwaukee rallied behind guard Michael Redd (29 points), center Andrew Bogut (18 points, 10 rebounds), guard Luke Ridnour (14 points, 10 assists) and reserve Charlie Villanueva (16 points). It was the 12th time in this frustrating season that the Wizards lost a game that they led in the fourth quarter.
“We had a number of opportunities to get stops, but we couldn’t get the ball and as a result we gave them second-chance opportunities,” said Wizards interim coach Ed Tapscott. “Tonight lessons were learned. They were painful lessons but lessons were learned.”
It was the fifth straight loss for Washington (7-30). Except for Indiana (13-24), every other team in the Eastern Conference has at least twice as many wins as the last-place Wizards.
“When you win, you reward. When you lose, you teach,” said Tapscott. “Tomorrow will be a teaching day. I like to follow that style of coaching because there are several coaches that are far more experienced than me and used that technique. If it was good for them, then it’s good for me.”
Tapscott’s recent teachings have centered on shot selection. He wants the Wizards to drive the ball to the basket. They followed his orders Monday, but to no avail early as they missed 11 shots in the paint in the first period and fell behind by six points.
But Washington put it together in the second period, staging a 24-8 run. Forward Andray Blatche (10 points, 5 rebounds) triggered the spurt with six straight points and Young fueled it with 11 more as the Wizards turned the deficit into a 52-39 lead.
“It seemed like the basket was bigger,” said Young, who hit his first seven shots on his way to a 12-for-19 performance. “I just felt it tonight. My teammates are boosting my confidence and helping to build me up and help me along the way.”
Antawn Jamison (25 points) took over in the third period when he scored 11 of his points, staking the Wizards to a 70-58 lead. But at the end of the period, Milwaukee (19-21) went on an 11-2 run, scoring on five consecutive possessions.
The 6-foot-11 Villanueva, star of the Kiss Cam earlier in the game, had the last laugh as he scored nine of the points, concluding the burst with a shot from just inside the arc, then one from beyond it.
In the fourth quarter, another inevitable Wizards’ fade materialized. Defense again was the culprit as Milwaukee enjoyed success inside and out. Bogut, who had a dunk and three layups in the quarter and hit 9 of 12 shots overall, gave Milwaukee the lead for the first time in the second half with 8:41 to go.
Then Redd took over down the stretch, hitting three of the Bucks’ final four baskets, including a crucial 3-pointer with 1:20 left that gave the Bucks a 93-89 lead. Backcourt mate Ridnour nailed down the victory with three free throws in the final 20 seconds.
“We were able to get some stops in the fourth quarter with our young guys in the game,” said Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles. “We didn’t play very well. The game wasn’t pretty but we got the victory.”
Milwaukee found the right opponent in the struggling Wizards. Afterward, his comments had a Wizards-like ring.
“The games we have lost this season have been close games,” said Redd, who hit 11 of 20 shots from the floor. “Our problem has been maintaining leads.”
The Wizards starting backcourt shot poorly, Mike James (8 points) and Caron Butler (6 points) combining to make just 4 of 25 shots. The rest of the Wizards hit 31 of 55 shots (56 percent), but it wasn’t enough.
“It was tough. I missed a few layups and tip dunks, a lot of shots that I normally make and establish a rhythm for me,” said Butler, who has made only 13 of his last 48 shots (27 percent). “We just fell a little short, but Nick did a great job.”
Notes » Wizards center Etan Thomas suffered a strained knee in the first period and did not return. … Wizards forward Dominic McGuire had 10 rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes, helping Washington to a 42-36 edge on the boards … Guard Javaris Crittenton (4 points, 4 assists, 0 turnovers) hit 2 of 3 shots, turning in another solid performance in 17 minutes.
