Category: Washington Wizards Blog

The Wizards were victorious last night after defeating the 76ers 111-76 at Verizon Center. Washington now leads the season series with Philadelphia 1-0.

D.C. shot .556 from the field and .500 from behind the arc. All five starters scored in double figures and Otto Porter and Kevin Seraphin also reached double digits in scoring off the bench. Washington was led by Marcin Gortat who tallied 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds in 29 minutes. John wall added 11 points and 10 assists in 29 minutes of action.

Washington allowed an opponent-season-low 76 points and their 35-point margin of victory was the biggest of the season. Nene finished with 12 points and six rebounds. He also connected on his fourth career three-pointer in the third quarter. The last time Nene hit a three was on Feb. 1, 2014.

– The Wizards are now 29-13 and in second place in the Eastern Conference. At Verizon Center, Washington is 18-5. Washington leads the Eastern Conference with 18 home victories.

– Washington is 16-0 when leading after three quarters and 24-1 when holding their opponents to less than 100 points.

– Washington shot .556 (45-of-81) from the field last night against Philadelphia. This marks the first time Washington has shot at least .550 from the field this season. Washington is 13-0 this season when shooting at least .500 from the field.

Here’s the Washington Post blog reporting on veteran Wizards guard Andre Miller (4.4 ppg in 12.8 minutes per game this season), a pass-first player with limited leaping ability who still manages to score when necessary:

Miller understands his skill set. He rarely shoots jumpers — he made his first three-pointer on his fifth attempt of the season Friday — and utilizes a remarkable post-up game to overwhelm point guards who are usually not accustomed to defending in the post. He did it against Westbrook on Friday and against New Orleans’s Austin Rivers on Monday when the Wizards needed it the most.

“I think it’s just the rhythm of the game, how it goes, how it pans out,” Miller said. “It depends on how the defense is playing and what the team needs at the time and I kind of just play from there.”

Emeka Okafor may not return until next season

Here’s CSN Washington reporting on veteran NBA big man Emeka Okafor:

Former Washington Wizards big man Emeka Okafor will consider holding off his return to the NBA until the 2015-16 season.

Okafor, 32, missed all of last season to recover from a herniated disk in his neck.

Now the veteran center is drawing attention from teams that need a little frontcourt help. However, he might wait until the summer before he commits to a new team to give himself more time to extend his strength and conditioning work.

The Wizards begin their five-game road trip tonight in Houston. Washington will face five of the top nine seeds in the Western Conference while book ending the trip with two sets of back-to-backs.

Tonight’s matchup is the first of two meetings with Houston. The Rockets won last season’s season series 2-0. The two teams will meet again on Mar. 29 in Washington.

Through the first 14 games of December, the Wizards are 11-3 (8-2 at home). The Wizards are averaging 103.6 points per game on .482 shooting from the field during the month. Washington is holding opponents to 98.6 points per game on .440 shooting from the field.

Quick Hits

John Wall leads the NBA with nine games of at least 20 points and 10 assists.

Wall averaged 21.0 points and 12.0 assists in two games against Houston last season.

Wall is averaging 17.4 points, 11.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds while shooting .497 from the field in the month of December (14 games).

Kris Humphries is averaging 16.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in his last two games off the bench.

— Washington Wizards notes

Here’s the Washington Post blog reporting on key Wizards big dude Nene, who continues to play while recovering from injury:

On Friday night, Nene posted his best performance since coming back from a five-game absence because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot earlier this month. He posted 20 crucial points on 8-for-10 shooting in 26 minutes off the bench, as the Wizards came back to beat the Miami Heat on the road.

The showing indicated the Brazilian big man is getting closer to reclaiming his spot in the starting lineup. But though he believes he belongs in the starting five, pain remains in the foot and Nene isn’t in a rush to increase his workload

“Until I see improvement, I’m going to stay on the bench because the season is long,” Nene said. “I don’t want to do crazy stuff.”

Here’s CSN Washington with a look at veteran Paul Pierce, as he and his new team, the Washington Wizards, continue to adapt to each other. So far, they’re off to a good start, as the team is 11-5 to begin the season:

Pierce is averaging a career-low 12.5 points. Watching the small forward on a regular basis, the sense he’s waiting for the right moment to take over and giving space for his new teammates to establish themselves. When needed, Pierce produces. He scored five straight points inside the final three minutes to put the Wizards up for good in Saturday’s 83-80 win over the New Orleans Pelicans and had 25 in a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks last month when Washington trailed by double digits early and lost Nene to injury. Never known for his athleticism even during his younger days, Pierce has helped the Wizards maintain the defensive high standard set during last season’s playoff run.

Here’s the Washington Post blog with an update on the 10-5 Wizards, who have been without the services of starting power forward Nene (10.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg in 27.1 mpg this season) in recent action:

Nene missed his third straight game with right plantar fasciitis Saturday — an 83-80 win over the New Orleans — but took part in practice for the first time in over a week Sunday and is officially listed as questionable for Washington’s meeting with the Miami Heat Monday. Garrett Temple, nursing a sore right heel, is also officially questionable.

Temple was the Wizards’ starting shooting guard in their first 13 games until Bradley Beal was inserted in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Temple played just 26 seconds in Cleveland and didn’t play at all Saturday.

With a 7-3 record through Thursday, the Washington Wizards have the 7th best winning percentage in the NBA; a fantastic start to a promising season. And the team is poised to get even deeper once Martell Webster becomes available to play, which should happen in the relatively near future. Here’s the Washington Post blog reporting:

Bradley Beal’s return Wednesday wasn’t the only significant steppingstone for an injured member of the Washington Wizards this week. Martell Webster has been cleared for contact and was a limited practice participant Tuesday and Thursday.

Webster, 27, underwent his third back surgery in four years on June 27 and was given a recovery timetable of three to five months. He said his return remains “on schedule,” which would mean a return by the end of November. On Thursday, Webster participated in half-court work with contact.

“No anxiety. It’s more the mental game,” Webster said.