[ WE Game Recap ] - Wizards vs. Knicks: Career Night For Beal Not Enough For Wizards Victory

knicks 96 wizards 88
3/1/2013 - Verizon Center, Washington, DC
ESPN Boxscore
NBA.com Game Highlights


Ned Dishman/Getty Images

For a team that last won a championship one year before the Wizards last championship, Knicks fan sure come out in droves as they once again they turned the Verizon Center into Madison Square Garden 2.0. They delusionally chanted MVP for Carmelo as the Knicks held on for a hard fought win against the pluckiest team in the NBA right now. Led by Bradley Beal’s career high 29 points, the Wizards fought the Knicks and referree Dick Bavetta to the last minute, a marked improvement from their previous performance.

For the second game in a row Nene sat out and for the second game in a row the Wizards came up just short. John Wall bounced back from his horrible outing against the Pistons. He had more points and assists in the first half than he did in the entire game against Detroit. This game was the sort of team effort the Wizards needed, especially against a Knick team that won their last game despite a 54 point effort from Steph Curry. And a team effort was exactly what they got tonight. It just wasn’t enough.

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Expecting to win his third straight Rookie of the Month award, the game started with the news that Dion Waiters of the Cavs took home the award for the month. So Bradley Beal went out and had possibly his best game as a pro. Not only was he efficient, scoring a career high 29 points, he also added 9 rebounds and made big shot after big shot.

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Carmelo Anthony: Melo scored a lot of points and took A LOT of shots but the MVP chants really rankled me. I am a huge Carmelo Anthony fan but MVP is a little much especially with the seasons LeBron and Durant are having.

Bradley Beal: We are watching a superstar blossom right before our eyes. Usually the Wiz trade their superstars before get a chance to develop but believe me, Beal is the Real Deal Holyfield (I couldn’t resist). It’s almost as if he’s getting better every game. Tonight he had his career high 29 points and added nine rebounds and dueled with Melo until the very end. It’s time for Wizards fans to make up a Rookie of the Year chant.

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The Good

The bounce back. I wish the Wizards could play playoff teams every night. After playing with no heart against the Pistons, The Wiz came out and competed from the opening whistle. The game got chippy and the Knicks tried to bully the Wiz into submission but the Wiz Kids were having none of it. They couldn’t buy a call in the 4th but they never backed down.
 

The Bad

I want to give this segment to Dick Bavetta and his awful officiating crew for all of their non calls at the end of the game but WE don’t cry about calls. So the bad is going to go the Wizards and their free throw shooting. The Wiz shot 19-for-29 from the line. I feel like I’m beating a dead horse with a broken record but as good as the Wizards are playing, they are not good enough to leave points on the floor.
 

The Ugly

The amount of Knicks fans in the Verizon Center was outrageous. I don’t know what the Wizards organization can do to improve the turnout from actual Wizards fans but for the players and the fans in attendance it has to get tiring feeling like you’re playing on the road every home game. It was one thing when the team was abysmal and impossible to watch but these guys compete hard and are in most games down to the wire. Yet, the only time the Wizards have a homecourt advantage is during the Chik-Fil-A sandwich giveaway.