WASHINGTON — DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points and seven other Spurs joined him in reaching double figures, but it wasn't enough in another Spurs loss. Their losing streak has reached seven games, their longest since the 1996-97 season.
The Wizards (4-8) made 18 of 30 shots from behind the three-point line, a 60 percent clip. Bradley Beal led the way with 33 points. 27 of those points came in the second half. Former Spur Davis Bertans had another great game, scoring 21 points against his former teammates.
The Spurs play again Friday at the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN.
FOURTH QUARTER:
Back-to-back three pointers by Ish Smith put the Spurs in serious trouble. With 4:31 remaining, his second straight triple gave the Wizards a 125-115 lead.
The Wizards were playing at a very fast pace, often getting layups after a Spurs made basket. They were exploiting the Spurs' lack of speed and quickness, and finding open shooters for clean looks.
A strong night from DeMar DeRozan in the scoring column is going to waste, as the Wizards have shot the lights out from long range, flirting with a 60 percent mark from behind the arc. At a certain point, every team having a good shooting night against you isn't a coincidence.
Jakob Poeltl is one of eight Spurs to reach double-digit scoring, which is nice and all, but the Wizards have seven such players.
After a Wizards possession that gave them a 12-point lead in the final minutes, you would think the Spurs were cooked, but the defense buckled down and got a few stops and put them in position to complete a comeback. But they came up just a bit short.
THIRD QUARTER:
After three, the Spurs trail 101-98.
If you thought the Spurs and Wizards would start playing defense in the third quarter, you were wrong. The teams played to an even 13-13 in the first four minutes of the frame. Then Coach Pop called timeout. The only defense to speak of was LaMarcus Aldridge swatting a layup by Wizards point guard Isaiah Thomas. Doesn't seem fair, to be honest. IT is like 5-foot-9. C'mon.
Then the Wizards decided to stop missing shots, which also isn't very nice. Bradley Beal scored 16 points in the third quarter, and three other Qizards starters reached the double-figure mark. The hosts' field goal percentage reached 60 percent for a while, and a Davis Bertans bucket gave the Wizards a 12-0 run. And it came off of bad transition defense by the Spurs, to boot.
The end of the quarter was wild, with a Dejounte Murray dunk coming with 3.4 seconds left. But the Wizards scored just 2.2 seconds later, because Davis Bertans rifled a pass to Bradley Beal, who hit a shot off one leg. But let's focus on the positives! The Spurs are in position to win, down just 3 after 3. Plus, dunks are fun!
SECOND QUARTER:
At halftime, the Spurs lead 69-63.
The Spurs and Wizards came out for the second quarter like the shot clock had been reduced to 14 seconds. There were some really quick shots taken, and the Spurs made a fair number of them. The problem? So did the Wizards. Former Spur Davis Bertans, who had 23 points against the Spurs when the teams played last month, hit the 10 point mark early in the second quarter.
The Spurs inserted Patty Mills in the starting lineup in Dejounte Murray's place, but Mills still connected with bench buddy Marco Belinelli for a sweet score.
As the second quarter continued, it was DeMar DeRozan leading the way offensively. Almost half of his points came from the free throw line, and the Wizards were having trouble containing him.
Marco Belinelli has taken the second-most shots on the team in the first half, and he's taking advantage of the opportunities.
The Spurs took a 69-63 lead into the locker room in our nation's capital, and rebounding is a big reason why. The Spurs have 25 rebounds to the Wizards' 15, and have committed 2 fewer turnovers. That's a lot of extra possessions.
The Spurs have also kept All-Star Bradley Beal in check. He scored just 6 points in the first half. The Wizards' two double-digit scorers, Davis Bertans and Ish Smith, were non-starters. The Spurs got two 10-point scorers off the bench in Rudy Gay and Marco Belinelli, plus 13 from DeMar DeRozan and 12 from Bryn Forbes.
FIRST QUARTER:
After one, the Spurs lead 38-35.
The Wizards scored first, but they showed right away why their defense is the least efficient in the NBA. LaMarcus Aldridge won't score an easier basket all season!
The Spurs were shooting the ball very well in the first quarter, making well over half their shots. Bryn Forbes led the charge, tallying 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting, with another 3 points coming at the free throw line.
The Silver and Black led by 8 eith 1:14 left in the quarter, but Washington closed well, making it 38-35 after one quarter.
PREGAME:
It’s starting to feel like now or never for the Spurs, who are on a six-game losing streak and falling further away from the playoff picture with each passing day. The season is still young, and this is just game 15 out of 82, but Wednesday night’s game presents as good of an opportunity for a win as any.
The Spurs (5-9) take on the Washington Wizards (3-8) for the second time this season. In the second game of the season, the Spurs outlasted the Wizards, 124-122. This will be the final meeting between the two teams this season. The game starts at 6 p.m. Central. The Spurs will be without Derrick White, who is battling left foot soreness.
Expect lots of points in this one, as the Wizards have the NBA’s worst defense and the Spurs are also in the bottom five.
The Spurs’ four-game road trip continues with two more games after this one. Friday, the Silver and Black is in Philadelphia before a game at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night.
