Wizards show grit in Game 3 win
The Washington Wizards were not supposed to win a game without point guard John Wall. Wall, the former No. 1 overall pick out of the University of Kentucky, broke his hand in five spots during Washington’s Game 1 win, putting his availability into question going forward.
On Saturday, Wall was not able to play, and the Wizards won anyway over the Atlanta Hawks, 103-101. Veteran Paul Pierce set the home crowd happy with a buzzer-beater, capping a contest in which the Wizards entered the fourth quarter with a 15-point lead.
Washington played with a nine-man rotation, starting Ramon Sessions instead of the inured Wall. Session logged 35 minutes and played poorly, shooting 2-of-10 from the field to score eight points with six assists and three rebounds. The star of the show for the Wizards was Otto Porter Jr., who scored 17 points with nine rebounds, four assists and a steal. The often-overlooked forward played 40 minutes and shot 7-of-15, tying Bradley Beal for the most shots taken on Washington.
With the victory, Washington took a 2-1 series lead over the top-seeded Hawks, putting it in prime position for a Game 4 at Verizon Center. The fifth-seeded Wizards were supposed to be a sleeper contender in the East at the beginning of the season but slumped down the stretch, making many believe a short playoff life would be a reality. Instead, after sweeping the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Washington is giving the Hawks all they can handle.
With the series in the Wizards’ favor, Wall might be able to rest another few days before having to test his hand. Skipping Game 4 might not be the worst idea, allowing the swelling to go down. Even if Washington loses, the series is still anybody’s to win. While going on the road 2-2 isn’t perfect, Phillip’s Arena is not one of the tougher venue to win at.
With the Cleveland Cavaliers down 2-1 to the Chicago Bulls in the other East semifinal, Washington has to feel it has a chance to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since the 1970’s. The Wizards would undoubtedly be an underdog to either the Bulls or Cavaliers, but neither team would be impossible to topple. Kevin Love absence’s is a major problem for Cleveland, while Chicago is offensively challenged at times.
Regardless of the outcome in this series, give a ton of credit to the Wizards. They are fighting without their leader, showing serious fight that many people were not sure that they have. Washington is finding ways to win, even without anybody putting up an unexpected 30-point effort. It has been a team effort, something that should makes the folks in D.C. very proud.
Onto Game 4. With or without Wall, the Wizards will be ready.
