Washington Wizards’ most important player at the Capital One Arena for Saturday night’s 128-112 victory wasn’t even on the court. Thomas Bryant was back on the bench after surgery to repair an ACL tear he suffered in early January. His presence was the perfect complement to a team in Washington that, since Valentine’s Day, has the second best record in the NBA (7-1).
The Wizards started the game in good shape, with 5 to 5 points on the field. Moritz Wagner added two trios, but was forced to give up five minutes after suffering two fouls. Alex Len had good relief, scoring four points, three rebounds and two blocks. Despite a 9-0 run in the middle of the quarter that gave the Wolves a 21-16 lead, Washington kept pace by forcing Minnesota into tricky situations and finishing his free throws. After the first, the Wizards lost 29–27.
As soon as the second started, Russell Westbrook led the attack with 10 points. Westbrook, who won his tenth triple-double of the season, had 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. As he did throughout the season, Garrison Mathews acted as the energy guy of the team, finishing the frame with four points, three rebounds and a series of quick plays. And with the home team needing to close the first half, they resorted to their ace; Bradley Beal scored nine of his 13 points in the first half in the final 4:38.
Minnesota came out of the range, firing, at the sound of two trios, to regain leadership. Beal, however, did not want any of this – shirt three imposed his will with 10 points, a steal and two assists. A 9-0 run put the Wizards in five points and forced a timeout in Minnesota. The suspension, however, did not diminish Beal’s momentum – he had seven more points, a rebound, two assists and tied the charge. The ex-Gator’s 17 points in the third quarter – 34 in the evening – plus Davis Bertans’ four three – on the way to 19 – helped the Wizards to have a 98-81 lead for the break.
The start of the fourth saw the spectators with cool passes between Westbrook (19 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists), Raul Neto and Mathews (18 points, nine rebounds). Minnesota kept pace with Naz Reid, who scored 17 points in 18 minutes off the bench. The only bitter note was Neto leaving the game earlier with what would later be diagnosed as a bruise on his left knee, further reducing the Wizards’ guard depth – Ish Smith is out with a hip injury. Two late threes from Anthony Edwards (21 points, six rebounds) made the final minutes more nervous than they should have been, but the Wizards took care of the matter to win seven of the last eight.
Karl-Anthony Town led the visitors with 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.