The fight was there. The flash was definitely there. The missed free throws and mistakes were also there, but the Wizards were content to accept that with the cards stacked against them in the second game in as many nights against a team with one of the best four records in the NBA, a competitive loss, even if it was the fifth defeat in a row, would have to do.
Thus, following Saturday’s 105-99 loss to Dallas in front of 19,203 at Verizon Center, Wizards head coach Flip Saunders sounded almost victorious.
“I’m extremely happy with how they played,” said Saunders. “I’m extremely happy with how they competed in the fourth game in five nights. As a team, we’re playing better, moving the ball better. Unfortunately, we’re playing against really good teams right now.”
After trailing by 13 in the second quarter, the Wizards (15-43) found a way to hang around and claw their way back in the second half. John Wall (24 points on a career-high 26 shots, 5 assists, 5 rebounds) shifted into high gear by the fourth quarter, forcing a back-pedaling Jason Kidd (14 assists) into fouling him twice on the break, offering the chance for consecutive three-point plays to eliminate the last of the Dallas advantage.
But Wall missed his free throws each time, part of Washington’s 0-for-6 performance at the line in the final period. Fellow rookie and new acquisition Jordan Crawford (10 points) still managed to tie the game, 97-97, with Kidd’s hand in his face and 1:36 remaining, but Washington then relinquished the lead for good when Tyson Chandler (23 points, 13 rebounds) rose over JaVale McGee (6 points, 11 rebounds), as he had all night, for a putback layup. It was one of the few times Chandler took it easy on McGee after seven dunks in the game, a variety of wide open alley oop slams and ferocious throwdowns in the young Wizards center’s face.
“He’s killed JaVale both games,” said Saunders of Chandler, who had 18 points and 18 rebounds in the teams’ other meeting in Dallas on Jan. 31.
Dirk Nowitzki (21 points, 7 rebounds) clinched the fifth win in a row for the Mavericks (42-16) with two free throws after Rashard Lewis’s touch foul on his elbow, complementing Jason Terry’s efficient game-high 25 points off the bench.
Nick Young was second on the Wizards behind Wall in scoring with 14 points, but he made have made the shot of the year, a spectacular 360-degree spinning reverse layup from under the basket with 6:26 remaining.
“I thought about doing a 720 and bringing out something new,” joked Young.
The evening was supposed to be a reunion game for Josh Howard (9 points, 6 rebounds), who finally got a chance to play against his former team for the first time more than a year after he was traded, but knee soreness and solid play from Washington’s rookies limited his minutes in the second half.
It was also the first return to Verizon Center for the players that went the other way to Dallas: Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson. But their contribution was minimal, with Haywood scoring just four points, Stevenson playing just two minutes and Butler not seeing the floor at all as he works his way back from a ruptured patellar tendon.
In the end the Wizards’ past took a back seat to the Wizards’ future, as rookies Wall, Crawford, Trevor Booker (8 points, 5 rebound) and Kevin Seraphin (8 points, 6 rebounds) had solid performances, even if they weren’t able to hit free throws – Booker was 2-for-7 at the stripe – and close with a win. Washington also played for the second game in a row without Andray Blatche (hip strain) and Al Thornton (ankle sprain).
“I wasn’t calling nobody out,” said Wall, referring to comments he made in frustration after Washington’s blowout loss at Philadelphia three nights prior. “I just knew that if we stepped up and just played hard, with confidence and competed, we could be in just about every game against every team. We’ve had a chance to win and been there since that comment I made, and we keep working hard. We just gotta learn how to finish down the stretch.”
