Washington Wizards secure rare road win over Bucks
Washington Wizards get just their fourth road win of the season and return to the .500 mark as they top the Milwaukee Bucks 107-101.
The Washington Wizards first half performance wasn’t pretty, but some halftime adjustments resulted in a much more solid second half to earn a valuable road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Sunday.
It’s necessary to point out that the Bucks were playing without their budding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out Sunday’s game due to illness. In three games against the Wizards this season, Bucks’ Antetokounmpo averaged 29.7 points, 11 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.
Luckily the Washington Wizards won’t have to worry about facing The Greek Freak this season as Sunday’s matchup was the fourth and final matchup between the two teams this season. Wizards won the season series, 3-1.
With the Washington Wizards’ win on Sunday, the team is back to the .500 mark at 18-18 and surged to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Most importantly, the Wizards, who started the month losing two straight road games, bounce back and respond with two straight wins against a highly-touted Minnesota Timberwolves team Friday night then Sunday against a likely East playoff team.
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The third overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft Bradley Beal scored 26 points despite making only two of this 10 three point attempts.
Following Sunday’s win, Beal lifted his monthly scoring average to 25 points in four January games that included three road games against the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and the Bucks.
However, Beal was slow to get up and eventually hobbled off the court after a collision with Wizards’ Otto Porter in the second quarter. Fortunately, Beal continued to play after a timeout and didn’t miss any noticeable time on the court following the incident.
Markieff Morris recorded his second double-double of the season scoring 20 points along with 10 rebounds. Reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month John Wall added 16 points and seven rebounds, but his game-high five turnovers almost proved to be costly.
The Wizards found themselves down a game-high 12 points just before the conclusion of the second quarter. However, second-year player Kelly Oubre Jr. came off the bench and ignited the Wizards comeback scoring 10 of his 17 points in the third quarter. In four games against the Bucks the season, Oubre Jr. averaged 11.5 points per game, including a career-high 19 points in a win against the Bucks back on Dec. 10th.
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Looking ahead, the Wizards play four of their next five games at the Verizon Center, a place where they’ve won 14 of their total 18 wins on the season. Furthermore, the Wizards have won nine straight games at home and will look to stretch the streak to 10 games against the Chicago Bulls Tuesday night.