John Wall Makes 5 Treys In Wizards' 110-83 Victory Over Sacramento Kings
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Sacramento, Calif. – While Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger sat two veterans to give the younger players an “opportunity” to play more minutes, the Washington Wizards looked at it as a chance to end a two-game skid.
The Wizards’ game plan was much more effective. Not so much for the Kings.
John Wall had 19 points, nine assists, one steal, and made five of six 3-pointers to lead Washington (4-2) 110-83 over the Kings. Wall, who made 7 of 12 shots from the floor, did not play in the fourth quarter. Otto Porter contributed 16 points and five rebounds for the Wizards.
“John hasn’t shot the ball well to start the season, but you know that he’s going to come around,” Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said of his point guard. “He puts a lot of work into it and it’s good to see that it’s paying off. He just got to continue to shoot the ball.”
Sacramento Kings forward Justin Jackson, right, battles for a rebound against Washington Wizards center Ian Mahinmi. Publicity Agents photo art by A. Ray Harvey.
Bradley Beal, who was ejected Friday night after tying up with Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, had 15 points, four assists and three rebounds in a little over 26 minutes.
Rookies De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic started for the first time this season for the Kings, losers of four straight games. Second-year players Buddy Hield and Skal Labissiere and third-year player Willie Cauley-Stein were also in the starting lineup.
Bogdanovic led the Kings (1-5) with 15 points, four steals, and three rebounds. Frank Mason came off the bench to score 11 points while Labissiere and Malachi Richardson each had 10 points. The Kings fell behind by 36 points in the third quarter.
“We got to get better at being ready to play at each position because we’re going to have to overcome playing a team that’s got a lot of experience,” Kings head coach Dave Joerger said. “They (the Wizards) were ready to play. John Wall started making shots immediately. He was really dialed in. We’re going to be two inches shorter, 25 pounds lighter, and seven to eight years less in experience for each guy we’re lined up with. You gotta be really dialed in and focus from the jump.”
Joerger had his reason, but he left a total of $77 million in contracts on the bench for this game. The Kings put veterans Hill, three years at $57 million, and Zach Randolph, two years at $20 million, on ice and the veterans of the Wizards totally took an advantage of the Kings’ roster change.
The Kings missed their first nine shots to start the game while the Wizards went up 13-0, 11 points by Wall alone. The Wizards made 6 of 8 3-point baskets to lead 35-16 in the first 12 minutes. Wall and Porter scored 11 points each.
Beal’s two free throws with 8.2 seconds left gave Washington its biggest lead in the first half and halftime margin at 63-32. The Wizards made 9 of 18 shots beyond the arc. The Kings only made 12 of 43 shots from the floor in the first half.
In the third quarter, Kelly Oubre made a trey at the 7:23 mark to give the Wizards a 76-40 lead, their second biggest margin of the game. The Kings shot horribly from the floor, making only 32 of 82 shots for the game. Sacramento had a total of 13 assists.
The Wizards jumped up to a 37-point gap on an alley-oop dunk by Chris McCullough with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Outside of Porter's 1:30 seconds played in the final quarter, none of the Wizards' starting four players returned for the final 12 minutes.
De’Aaron Fox had two points, his lowest output in six games, five assists, and four rebounds for the Kings. Fox, who knows how it feels to play guys older than him said using the inexperience line should never be a factor.
“That’s one thing that I learned at Kentucky playing guys three or four years older than us,” Fox said. “It’s a lot different in the NBA. But you never let that be your excuse that you’re still young. You still have to play basketball at the end of the day.”
The Wizards lost two tough games on the road, one against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 22 and the other to the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 22. Against the Kings, Washington made 40 of 85 shots from the field, 17 of 34 from behind the 3-point line, and had a total of 28 assists.
“I think we should’ve finished 4-o,” Beal said of the road trip. “But you live with the results because we let a game slip in L.A. and we let a game slip at Golden State. We look at those games we lost and use those things as adversity and things we can build on and how to close out games. I think it was a cool trip.”
PUBLIC INFORMATION:
Kings:
With Zach Randolph and George Hill out of the lineup, coach Dave Joerger word before the game was “opportunity” for his younger players. The veterans were listed under the categorically REST column. The game plan is still to win ball games, Joerger insisted.
“It’s just an opportunity to play and play bigger minutes,” Joerger said of the young Kings. “Also, to get a chance to see some other guys play with different guys and different combinations. I do want to see some guys with some other guys. But at the same time, this isn’t a ‘let just try this and see how it goes today.’ You’re going to go out to compete to win and that’s how we’ll play every game.”
A Wildcat Talks About Another Wildcat:
John Wall on De’Aaron Fox: “He’s been great for those guys (the Kings). I think he’s the leading scorer off the bench. I definitely told him we can talk about anything he wants to talk about. He has some great veterans. He’s just getting adjusted to the game, he’s fast, he’s athletic, and shots the ball better than what I did coming in. I think he’s just finding a comfortability of when to know to be aggressive and when to find his teammates.”
Wizards:
Bradley Beal was not suspended for getting ejected in Washington’s 120-117 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 28. Coach Scotty Brooks was elated to regain the service of his shooting guard.
“Our guys prepared yesterday for either way,” Brooks said. “We would have all respected the league’s decision, but it’s time to move on. Like he (Beal) did the other day, he apologized to his team. As you do, you gotta move on. None of us can take back moments in time. Understand it is a heated competition and you have to continue to focus on being in control.”
On The Marquee
Kings: Visit Indiana on Tuesday
Wizards: Host Phoenix on Wednesday
By T. Ray Harvey | PA Public Information Officer and Photographic Artist
Twitter: Tony Ray Harvey @PublicityAgents
T. Ray (Antonio) Harvey is a Public Information Officer and Photographic Artist for Publicity Agents. Harvey is also the author of The HOMICIDAL HANDYMAN OF OAK PARK: MORRIS SOLOMON JR.
