The Washington Wizards defeated the Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend, but fell in a chippy contest against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday in the second night of a back-to-back.
Bradley Beal shot lights out in Memphis on Friday night, posting 34 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor and from three-point range. BB was a perfect 11-11 from the charity stripe, including a pair in the final moments of the game.
The Panda also added five rebounds and five assists to help lead the Wiz to a narrow 102-100 victory. The Wizards built a big lead early in Memphis, but the Grizzlies clawed their way back in to make it a fight.
Down the stretch, the Wiz made enough plays to secure the victory. Head coach Scott Brooks was encouraged by the team’s defensive effort and pointed to it as a reason for their victory on a tough shooting night for the team as a whole.
“To win on the road shooting 39 percent means we played the defense it takes to win,” said Brooks.
Their 16 forced turnovers helped lead to some easy buckets against a staunch Grizzlies defense in the FedEx Forum and it resulted in 23 points off turnovers for the game.
BB kept the defensive aggression going early on Saturday night against the Bucks in Capital One Arena. Beal had two blocks early in the game that helped set the tone, but the Wizards fell in a close one, 110-103.
The Wizards held a three-point advantage entering the final period, but they ran out of steam on the second night of a back-to-back against a long, physical Milwaukee team.
No. 3 had 20 points on the night, but it wasn’t his best shooting night. He was able to attack Milwaukee in the paint to keep the Wizards in it, but it ultimately was not enough to get a win Saturday night.
The good news is that Brad and his teammates will get another shot at Milwaukee soon. They have games Wednesday night, Friday night and Saturday night against the Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets at Capital One Arena before closing out a five-game home stand against Milwaukee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at 2pm ET. The three prior games all begin at 7pm ET.
The Wizards will be looking to pile up some wins at home before embarking on a five-game road trip that starts Jan. 17.
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