Washington, D.C—
It what could be a potential first round playoff match up against the Bulls tonight looked like a potential first round exit with the way the Wizards played from start to finish. They didn’t start, nor did they barely finish in a 96-78 trouncing by the Bulls.
“It was definitely a statement game,” Washington forward Drew Gooden said. “We were going in the mindset of this being a statement game, getting a possible matchup in the first round, and they took it the same way. They wanted to make a statement early.”
The Bulls have been doing all of this work without Derek Rose the entire season, but they have an excellent point guard in D. J Augustin who led Chicago with 25 points, making 6 of 11 3-pointers but only 2 of 8 2-pointers. Joakim Noah had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Carlos Boozer added 16 points for the Bulls, who have won five straight and are tied with the Toronto Raptors for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Augustin has averaged a strong 19.8 points during the winning streak.
John Wall scored 20 points, and Marcin Gortat had 19 for the Wizards, who sit in sixth place in the East. If they hold that spot, they would face the third-seeded team.
“You fight aggression with aggression,” Wittman said. “And it was only a one-way fight tonight.”