Wizards’ defense falters down the stretch in loss to Knicks
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The Washington Wizards’ 115-109 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday exemplified their big issue as they try to climb the Eastern Conference standings and improve their postseason positioning: Their success is going to come down to defense.
All night, the offense was fluid and crisp. The Wizards tied a season-high 19 three-pointers and had 25 assists on 39 buckets. Four starters were in double figures, as were Deni Avdija and Delon Wright off the bench.
But the last minute exposed the Wizards’ weakness clearly. Bradley Beal had tied a tight game with a three-pointer with just under a minute to play, and they desperately needed a stop. Instead, guard Jalen Brunson drove hard against Avdija, ended up in traffic under the basket and pulled out a layup to put New York up two.
Beal passed on the other end to Kristaps Porzingis, who missed and couldn’t draw a foul. But it was the team’s inability to stop Brunson that made the difference. Washington (28-31) didn’t score again and the Knicks earned their fourth win in a row, with Julius Randle’s career high-tying 46 points a nice feather in their cap.
Immanuel Quickley added 16 points for New York. Brunson had 13 points and nine assists, but it was a full-team, methodical effort from the offense — which also erased a 19-point Wizards lead in the second quarter — that won the game.
The Knicks (34-27) shot 48.9 percent from the field and got buckets when they needed them most.
Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with 23 points each. Beal had 16 points and Washington shot 49.4 percent from the field, bolstered mostly by hot three-point shooting. New York’s staunch interior defense held them to 32 points in the paint.
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At the start, Porzingis provided an excellent advertisement for traveling to Miami, where he vacationed during the recent all-star break. The big man took full advantage of the Knicks’ paint-heavy defense and shot 5 for 5 from three-point range in the first quarter to rack up 19 points and jump-start the Wizards’ offense.
They worked their way to the 19-point lead and shot 53.5 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from beyond the arc in the first half. But their defense couldn’t keep up, and New York rattled off a 22-7 run in the final six minutes before halftime. Washington went into the locker room leading 64-60.
Washington’s offense chugged along even as Porzingis faded after the first quarter. The Wizards had 18 three-pointers, one from matching their season high, though Porzingis’s first points after the first quarter came at the free throw line with 2:26 left.
Here’s what else you need to know from Friday’s loss:
Goodwin signs multiyear deal
The Wizards announced Friday they had signed Jordan Goodwin to a multiyear contract, filling the open roster spot created when they waived Will Barton earlier this week. The 6-foot-3, 200 pound guard earned a two-way contract at the start of the campaign after spending last season with the Capital City Go-Go.
“It’s part of the success story. We’ve talked about him at length throughout this season. The impact he’s had on this group, he’s made the most of that opportunity,” Coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “That’s what the G League system is for, to get high character guys you feel fit the way you play. Now with the opportunity, it’s up to them to carve out a niche and take advantage of the minutes, and he’s done that. It’s nice to reward a guy. And that just shows what we’ve established, the synergy between those two teams, it works.”
Goodwin is averaging 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 18.1 minutes across 40 games this season, though Unseld said his minutes won’t be guaranteed when Washington is healthy.
“I have no doubt that when his number’s called, he’ll go out and play hard, find a way to impact the game,” Unseld said.
Beal plays without practice
Beal went into his first game after the all-star break cold. The guard missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with knee soreness that Unseld said started bothering him during the break. Unseld said Beal landed awkwardly at some point during the Feb. 16 win over Minnesota but it didn’t swell up until two days later.
Beal had no minutes restriction against the Knicks.
Career night for Wright
Wright, a backup guard, is always a defensive leader for Washington. He also was a key contributor on offense against the Knicks, tying his season high with 15 points. And that total came on five three-pointers, which equaled a career high.