Another game, another fourth-quarter fade, as Washington falls to Portland
In the early stages of his tenure as Wizards interim coach Ed Tapscott has constantly stressed finding a “formula.” His team has certainly found one. It’s just not successful.
After another teeth-gnashing fourth-quarter fade Wednesday night at Verizon Center, the Wizards are still searching. Surrendering 12 points in the final eight minutes to Brandon Roy, Washington fell to the Portland Trail Blazers, 98-92, before 12,802 head-scratching fans.
It was the eighth time the Wizards (3-13) lost a game they led in the fourth period.
“Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” said Tapscott. “You gotta close the deal. Whenever you don’t, you tend to focus on the things you didn’t do.”
Washington looked as if it had found a winning formula when it scored nine straight points at the start of the final period to turn a five-point deficit into an 81-77 lead. But led by third-year guard Roy (22 points, 8 rebounds), Portland scored on 11 of its final 13 possessions.
“They ran the same play for the last six minutes of the game,” said Wizards guard Antonio Daniels. “A middle pick-and-roll with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. DeShawn [Stevenson] did a great job on Brandon Roy. Sometimes we didn’t give him the support he needed.”
That certainly was the case when Roy drove past Stevenson and dribbled unfettered to the basket, giving Portland a 94-90 lead with 36 seconds left.
“It was time to be aggressive,” said Roy. “If they were going to win this game, they were going to win it with me attacking the rim for the last six minutes. I was able to get in the paint.”
It was a familiar script for Washington as neither team led by more than seven points. The score sheet also was familiar as forwards Antawn Jamison (22 points, 5 assists) and Caron Butler (16 points) were the leaders, with Andray Blatche, Nick Young, and Darius Sonogaila combining for 30 points on 13 of 23 shooting, off the bench.
The Wizards shot 51 percent from the floor, but their solid offense couldn’t compensate for another leaky fourth-quarter effort on defense. There were missteps on offense too as Stevenson missed 3 of 4 free throws in the final 4:10, and center JaVale McGee (6 points, 7 rebounds) had an ill-advised jumper inside the 2-minute mark.
“It’s been the story this year,” said Jamison. “You just have to keep plugging. We’re playing hard. We’re in the games. We’re just not finding a way to get it done.”
With its sixth straight win, Portland (14-6) showed that it is one of the premier young teams in the NBA. Complementing Roy, 24, were 23-year-olds Aldridge (16 points) and Rudy Fernandez (13 points), who hit 5 of 6 shots off the bench.
Center Greg Oden, 20, had 13 points and 10 rebounds, while former Wizard Steve Blake (15 points, 5 assists) ran the show with help from 22-year-old Sergio Rodriguez (7 assists).
After some growing pains, and lots of close losses in close games, Portland has finally discovered how to win. It’s the elusive formula, Tapscott is trying to bottle.
“We have noticed that they have started to calm down in situations where the game is close,” said Portland coach Nate McMillan. “It’s a good sign that we are starting to learn how to close and win these type of games.”
Up next » Lakers at Wizards
When » Friday, 7
Where » Verizon Center
TV » CSN
RADIO » 980 AM
After reaching the NBA Finals last year, the Lakers (15-2) look stronger and deeper. Star G Kobe Bryant (24.6 points per game) leads. F Pau Gasol (17.1 ppg, 9 rpg) and C Andrew Bynum (12.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2 bpg) give the Lakers presence inside. Long, versatile reserves Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom can fill a variety of roles. F Vladimir Radmanovic and G Sasha Vujacic are 3-point threats.
