The Wizards didn’t get into Dwight Howard hard enough early, and they made the mistake of leaving him alone late.
But in between, they started to show signs that they aren’t resigned to blowout defeats all season against the best teams in the Eastern Conference and the rest of the NBA.
Of course, a dramatic win over Orlando instead of a loss after a Gilbert Arenas miss at the buzzer would’ve been more enjoyable. But thus are the growing pains forced upon NBA teams that go all-in for a rebuild. (Read the game story here.)
“We played at the level we needed to play to win games,” said Wizards guard Kirk Hinrich. “We just need to do it every night. That’s a good team in the other locker room. We just gotta do a better job closing it out. But the attention to detail was there. The sense of urgency was there. That’s good. It just needs to be there more often.”
The John Wall Watch (OUT – bruised left knee)
Got into this one before the game.
The Gilbert Arenas Game (season-high 31 points, five rebounds, five assists, 12-for-14 at the line)
Whatever concern there was over Arenas’s fitness or confidence or aggression or over-dependence on his jump shot or maybe even his redemption story itself, he’s putting those questions to rest.
Yes, his 3-pointer was not falling (1-for-6), and there had to be some surprise down the stretch that he didn’t find a way to get the ball into scorching hot Nick Young’s hands instead of taking it himself repeatedly. But Arenas did score the Wizards’ final nine points with a variety of jump shots and drives. By the final seconds, he’d earned the chance to go for the game-winner.
“I got my wind,” said Arenas, “and my legs are back so as you can see tonight that I’m attacking the basket again. Now it’s just keep progressing.”
Ballers
Nick Young (season-high 21 points)
Young is now averaging 16.8 points in his last eight games. There were few moments more enjoyable tonight for the Verizon Center crowd than watching Young hit four straight fade away jump shots over whatever defender the Magic threw at him.
The first one of the quartet may have been the most important, as it was a quick response to a possession that could’ve been back-breaking for Washington.
J.J. Redick’s three-pointer not only gave Orlando an 80-79 lead and snapped a 7-0 Washington run, it came at the of a long possession that had seen the ball make it’s way around the horn and touch every player on the floor.
But instead of hanging heads, Young had the answer.
Of course, the final shot of the four in a row was the most entertaining, because Mickael Pietrus had tried to undercut Young – instead he just sent him into a near cartwheel and the crowd into a frenzy.
Andray Blatche (10 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks)
The Wizards will take this kind of line from Blatche every night over 20 points on 20 shots. Blatche got better as the game went on, smartly passing out of double teams to find open shooters and blowing by his defender on the baseline with aggressive moves to the basket. Two of Blatche’s four assists came in the fourth quarter.
JaVale McGee (9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal)
The temptation is there to try and blame McGee for mistakes early that allowed Orlando to go in front, but the way he locked down Howard in the third quarter made it possible for the Wizards to be in the game at all. He just needs to put that performance in all game long.
“I give him a C,” said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders. “What’d he end up with? Howard had 32 points and 11 rebounds. It’s tough to give him anything better than a C. But he battled. He didn’t back down.”
Busts
Alonzo Gee (8 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals)
No, he actually was the exact opposite of a bust in his first Wizards start since last March. But those numbers can be even better if Gee can hold onto the ball a bit better. He’s so busy flying around for putbacks and rebounds that he often loses track of the handle. It’ll come with minutes he’s certain to get more of.
Portrait Play
Because Arenas had a chance to win the game on the final possession, it’s easy to forget that he picked up a pair of questionable charges during the Wizards’ game-changing third quarter. The first was drawn by Quentin Richardson after McGee had blocked Jameer Nelson’s shot at the other end. With the Magic lead already dwindling to 61-55, Arenas had the chance to cut into even further. Instead, Nelson hit a jumper to force the Wizards to work that much more to complete their initial comeback.
The second came at the end of the third period by a backward pedaling Chris Duhon. Had he been called for the foul, Arenas would’ve had the chance to tie the score going into the fourth quarter.
If the first-half three-point plays for Howard were important enough to make a difference, so were both of the Arenas’s charges.
Stat of the night
1 – technical fouls for Saunders and Howard
Saunders got his before the first quarter ended just a night after Cleveland head coach Byron Scott, after a loss at home to Orlando, went looking for a fine by saying, “It’s hard when you’re playing against 8 people.”
Howard got his early in the fourth quarter. Seriously, with the way he gets manhandled – even though he’s clearly strong enough to handle it – it’s gotta be hard for him not to crack by that point in every game he plays.
