[ WE Game Recap ] - Wizards vs. Hornets: John Wall Unleashes the Range

wizards 96 hornets 87
3/15/2013 - Verizon Center, Washington, DC
ESPN Boxscore
NBA.com Game Highlights

Ned Dishman

No Beal. No Price. No Problem, thanks to John Wall. For the second game in a row, Wall had at least 23 points and 9 assists. For the second game in a row the Wizards leaned on their role players for points and for the second game in a row they did not disappoint.

John Wall has officially arrived. We knew he was fast and we knew he could get to the hoop. We also knew he had a jump shot only Shawn Marion could love. But tonight the entire Verizon Center fell in love with it.

Don’t worry, there is more Wall love to come but how about some love for the rest of the squad first.

Look no further than Garrett Temple, who played 41 minutes against the Bucks on Wednesday and 44 minutes tonight. These aren’t just empty minutes either. He had 13 points on Wednesday and 10 points tonight.

Martell Webster did his thing as well adding 18 points and Trevor Booker followed up his 12 rebound outing on Wednesday with 13 rebounds tonight.

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With Easter right around the corner, John Wall went on his own scavenger hunt and found a jump shot. While it’s not the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, I’ll take it. John was hitting jumpers from all over the court. Wizard fans - let’s take a moment and savor that last statement. John made more 3-pointers tonight than he had all season long.  He was on fire, going 12-for-15 from the field with 9 assists and only 3 turnovers. I don’t want to be a jinx but I think he’s finally figured out this whole superstar thing.

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John Wall:  February was Bradley Beal’s coming out party and it looks like March is going to be Wall’s month. Wall outplayed Vasquez tonight but it took one of the best games Of his career. As I’ve previously stated we are watching Wall grow right before our eyes. This squad is finally becoming a team and Wall is the catalyst. For Wizards fans tonight, this was what they’ve been waiting three years for.

Greivis Vasquez: On a night that the UMD Terps were able to upset Duke in the ACC Tournament, the former Terp channeled his inner Testudo. He had a sick stat line of 18 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds. I believe it’s safe to say that Greivis is the most underrated player in the NBA. I mean, all he does is average 14 points and 9 assists for the season. As a lifelong Terps fan, if you would have told me that Greivis Vasquez has the chance to develop into the best pro to come out of Maryland, I wouldn’t have believed you but.....

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The Good

What else? John Wall’s jump shot, which was silky smooth tonight. The biggest change hasn’t been form or mechanics, but instead, confidence. John is believing the shot is going in when he let’s it go. This has not been the case during most of his DC tenure. Of his 12 made baskets, only two of those were layups. Now that’s impressive.


The Bad

Emeka Okafor. With the emergence of Okafor this season, Wizards fans have come to expect a double double from the big man all the time. But for the second game in a row he was underwhelmed. Tonight he looked as if he was in pain and maybe hurting a bit. Even though he struggled again, the Wiz won again so all is good.
 

The Ugly

Anthony Davis only played 16 minutes tonight because he stayed in foul trouble and finished with just 8 points and 7 rebounds. The ugly part was that all of his 8 points came in the 1st quarter. I guess he soon heard that Kentucky got smashed by Vanderbilt. Good thing nobody told John Wall...