With a schedule as grueling as the one Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards have endured to start the 2021-22 season, sometimes you need a blowout to catch some late game rest, and that’s exactly what the Washington Wizards got on Friday night.
Washington rebounded from their first back-to-back losses of the season Monday and Wednesday, and got back on the right track with their most dominant performance of the year, beating the Memphis Grizzlies, 115-87, for their most lopsided win of the season so far. Brad led the starters with 17 points on seven-of-12 shooting despite sitting out the entirety of the fourth quarter due to the lopsided nature of the game.
Let 'em know @RealDealBeal23:
DUUUUUUUBBBBB pic.twitter.com/wgt9h6n2si
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) November 6, 2021
“We kept our foot on the gas tonight, and I’m definitely proud of how we played on both ends,” No. 3 said.
With seven players scoring in double figures and 34 assists on 49 field goals, the Wizards spread the ball around well and dominated defensively to force a blowout that felt over by the third quarter.
Washington came out of the gate strong, shooting 71 percent from the field in the first quarter, and that hot shooting never truly went away as Memphis couldn’t keep up. Brad was a perfect three-for-three with eight points in the opening frame along with four assists.
In the second quarter, the Wizards didn’t let up, shooting 48 percent from the field and holding the Grizzlies to just 16 points. With 4:51 left in the quarter, Brad had arguably the flashiest play of the night, fooling center Steven Adams with a stepback in order to create space for a pass off the backboard to himself for a layup.
Off the backboard… to yourself?!?
OKAY @RealDealBeal23! pic.twitter.com/RZ60qpxKgS
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) November 6, 2021
Washington went into the second half with a 60-47 lead, and came out with a 23-6 third quarter run that helped push their lead to 23 points at the end of the quarter.
By the fourth quarter, it was smooth sailing for the Wiz, as the team rested Brad and Kyle Kuzma while Daniel Gafford and Montrezl Harrell took over as the primary scorers. The lead went up to as high as 32 points in the fourth, and Washington earned a convincing victory over a Grizzlies team they had lost to in each of their previous four meetings.
The win, Brad says, displayed the type of basketball the Wizards want to consistently play as they look to enter the conversation as a serious contender this season.
“This is how we want to play,” BB said. “The ball is moving, bodies are flying around, everybody’s getting touches, everybody’s getting aggressive. That’s how we want to play.”
The Wizards return to action on Sunday, November 7 in a home matchup with the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. The game tips off at 6:00 p.m ET.
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