Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
When you watch a NBA game like this one against the Grizzlies tonight, some would say this is the best Wizards team in many years. We would say maybe best in decade if they continue to play like the did tonight. Could this be the best all around team in quite a long time? Time will tell, but for now, we may even have to go back to the playoff years of Arenas and Butler to find a team better then what Wes Unseld Jr. has put on the floor over this first month.
While this team has quite a ways to go, it has become the best 6-3 team and already has fans talking about playoffs this early in the season.
Montrezl Harrell led the team with 18 points, but it’d be unfair to say any one player led the team Friday. Bradley Beal followed with 17 points, Raul Neto and Daniel Gafford had 15, Kyle Kuzma had 13 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Spencer Dinwiddie added 12.
The Wizards held Memphis to 35 percent shooting from the field. Washington led 60-47 at halftime and went on a 23-6 run during the third quarter that broke the game open.
“We were aggressive,” coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “We got going early, made shots, I think we had 15 assists at half and 34 for the game. That’s a terrific number. If my math is correct, I think 70 percent of our made field goals were assisted, which is a tremendous number. When we continue to play that style of ball, we’re tough to guard.”
For the Grizzlies, when Ja Morant is on, he is on and when he is off, he is off… tonight was one of those nights. When you are down by as many as 30 points going late into games in the NBA, it is tough to battle back.
Morant had little help from his starters, with just Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane being the only other Grizzles starters in double figures tonight.
With the loss tonight, the Grizzlies fall to 2-3 on the road and 5-4 overall.
