Washington Wizards Blog – Page 44 – NBA Blog

Jordan Crawford solid in Celtics debut

In his debut with the Boston Celtics, former Wizards guard Jordan Crawford joined an exclusive club, becoming the 46th player in NBA history to take the floor wearing number 27.

Regardless of his jersey number, the player that took the floor on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns was remarkably similar to the one Wizards’ fans watched in Washington.

In 17 minutes Crawford scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 2-for-5 from long distance in the Celtics’ 113-88 win. Crawford also had three rebounds and two assists, while only turning the ball over once.

— Reported by Michael Huberman of CSN Washington

Celtics trade Leandro Barbosa, Jason Collins to Wizards for Jordan Crawford

Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the Wizards have acquired guard Leandro Barbosa and center Jason Collins from the Boston Celtics in exchange for guard Jordan Crawford.

“Our team has started to come together and play well over the last 20 games,” said Grunfeld. “This trade allows us to keep moving in that direction with the solid rotation and defensive commitment we have established on the court, helps us continue to build on the culture we are establishing in the locker room and gives us additional financial flexibility.”

“Jordan’s a scorer and he will provide versatility that will add great depth to our roster,” said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations.

Crawford, a 6’4” guard, has appeared in 43 games for the Wizards this season and is averaging 13.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 26.2 minutes per game. Crawford has recorded 12 games this season with 20 or more points including a season-high 27 points twice (December 28 against Orlando and December 18 against Atlanta). In the game against Atlanta on December 18, he also recorded a triple-double adding 11 assists and 11 rebounds to his season-high-tying 27 points. The third year pro out of Xavier University in Ohio has career averages of 13.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 149 games split between Atlanta and Washington.

Collins, the 18th overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, has appeared in 707 career games with five teams (New Jersey, Memphis, Minnesota, Atlanta, Boston) while averaging 3.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per contest. This season with Boston, Collins has averaged 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 32 games.

Crawford was originally traded to Washington along with Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans and a 2011 First Round pick (Chris Singleton) for Hilton Armstrong and Kirk Hinrich on February 23, 2011. In parts of three seasons with the Wizards, Crawford averaged 14.5 points while appearing in 133 games. He averaged 13.2 points and 3.7 assists while appearing in 43 games for the Wizards this season.

Wizards continue to struggle on the road

The Wizards (14-35) are averaging a measly 86.2 points on the road, reaching triple digits just four times. They are also shooting just 40.6 percent and connecting on 33.7 percent from long distance. Opponents are outscoring them by an average of 9.1 points away from Verizon Center. Washington has suffered seven of its 10 double-digit losses on the road, including a 100-68 loss to the Pistons.

Even the return of John Wall hasn’t been a remedy for the Wizards’ road woes, with the team going 2-6 away from home.

“You’ve got to play better on the road. That’s the bottom line in this league,” [Coach] Wittman said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to play better on the road and do it consistently. And it starts defensively, getting it going. That’s our next step. Take it on the road. I feel good about going into these next two games because of what we’ve done [at home]. We went through a tough stretch of games here. A lot of good games.”

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Blog)

Wizards end Knicks 5-game winning streak

Though the Washington Wizards have just 13 victories, five are against leaders of the six NBA divisions.

John Wall had 21 points and nine assists, Trevor Ariza scored a season-high 20 points, and the Wizards snapped the New York Knicks’ five-game winning streak with a 106-96 victory Wednesday night.

Washington held the Knicks, who had won the last 10 meetings, to just nine 3-pointers. In the previous two games, New York had 33.

The Wizards have also beaten Miami, Oklahoma City, the Los Angeles Clippers, and Chicago, which was leading the Central on Jan. 26. San Antonio is the only division leader to beat Washington.

”I’d like to play our best against everyone,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.

Washington had six players score in double figures for the fourth time this season. Martell Webster added 19 points, Nene had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Emeka Okafor scored 12 and Chris Singleton 10.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Banged-up Clippers lose 98-90 to Wizards

The Los Angeles Clippers were missing Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. The Washington Wizards won the game.

Tread carefully around Randy Wittman when trying to connect those two thoughts.

”Hey, listen, we played enough games this year without players,” the Wizards coach said. ”Don’t give me the (bull) about who was here and who wasn’t here. … You guys would have printed it a wholly different other way if we had lost. … Now you’re going to print, ‘Ah, you won because Blake didn’t play.’ Give me a break.”

To be fair, the outburst was more playful than angry, but the point is well-taken. The Wizards will happily take Monday night’s 98-90 win – or any victory for that matter – in a season that was essentially wrecked from the get-go in part because of injuries to John Wall and Nene.

Now it’s the Clippers who are close to falling off the rails, having lost seven of nine – including six of eight without Paul. Los Angeles is 1-3 halfway through an eight-game road trip and has fallen 4 1/2 games off the Western Conference lead…

Martell Webster scored 21 points, Nene and Garrett Temple had 15 points apiece, Emeka Okafor grabbed 14 rebounds, and Wall had 13 points and eight assists for the Wizards, who broke a four-game losing streak and moved a game ahead of the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats.

DeAndre Jordan had a career-high 22 rebounds for the Clippers. Eric Bledsoe, going toe-to-toe with Wall in a duel between former Kentucky teammates, had 17 points and nine assists.

— Reported by Joseph White of the Associated Press

Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard named NBA Rookies of Month for January, 2013

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January.

Beal, who wins his second consecutive Kia Rookie of the Month award, led all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (15.1 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.508), and finished second in minutes (32.9 mpg) and third in assists (2.5 apg). Beal became the first rookie since Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry in 2010 to shoot .500 or better from three-point range in a calendar month with at least 50 attempts.

Lillard, who wins his third consecutive Kia Rookie of the Month award, led all rookies in scoring (17.7 ppg), assists (6.8 apg) and minutes (39.6 mpg). Among all NBA players this season, Lillard ranks 19th in scoring (18.1 ppg), 13th in assists (6.5 apg) and seventh in three-pointers made (102). Lillard recorded his eighth game this season of 20-plus points and eight-plus assists on Jan. 23 during a 100-80 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month were Cleveland’s Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller, Detroit’s Andre Drummond and New Orleans’ Anthony Davis.

Wizards keep improving, beat Bulls 86-73

Emeka Okafor had 15 points and 16 rebounds, helping the surging Washington Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 86-73 on Saturday night.

John Wall and Nene each scored 16 points for Washington, which has won consecutive games for the second time this season. The Wizards have won five straight at home for the first time in five years, and seven of 10 overall.

It’s a marked improvement from the start of the season, when Washington (11-31) dropped 28 of its first 32 games.

Chicago had won a season-high three in a row for the third time.

Nate Robinson scored 19 points for the Bulls, and Joakim Noah narrowly missed a triple-double with nine points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, which equaled his career high.

The Wizards outscored Chicago 23-11 in the third quarter to take a 73-55 lead. The 11 points were a season low for the Bulls. Chicago had twice as many turnovers (six) as field goals (three) in the period…

Chicago F Luol Deng missed his fifth straight game with a strained right hamstring.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Wizards keep improving, beat Timberwolves 114-101

At the midpoint of their season, and with John Wall back in the starting lineup, the Washington Wizards finally lifted themselves off the bottom of the NBA.

Wall had 14 points and five assists in his first start of the season, and Washington finally hit double digits in wins Friday night with a 114-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Wizards have won four straight at home and no longer have the league’s worst record, their 10-31 record a half-game better than the Charlotte Bobcats’ 10-32.

”You’re not going to hear any good thing about your team or organization if you’re not winning games, and that’s all we’re trying to do – is just win,” Wall said. ”You don’t want to end up as the last team.”

Wall, who came off the bench for the first seven games after his return from a knee injury, had assists on the Wizards’ first two baskets in a game in which Washington never trailed. He wowed the crowd with a nice spin move for a layup late in the first half and went 6 for 10 from the field in 21 minutes, his playing time still limited after missing 33 games with a stress injury to his left knee cap..

The Wizards are 5-3 since Wall’s return after going 5-28 without him…

Jordan Crawford added 19 points, and Bradley Beal had 16 points and a career-high four blocks for the Wizards, who shot a season-high 58 percent. Beal had the best sequence for anyone not named Wall: The rookie chased down Luke Ridnour to block a fast-break layup, crashed into the front row, got up and hit a jumper at the other end to make the score 70-51 in the third…

Ricky Rubio had four points on 1-for-8 shooting, six assists, five rebounds and five turnovers, another trying day in a difficult week that included an apology to acting coach Terry Porter for getting upset over playing time in the team’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

— Reported by Joseph White of the Associated Press

Wizards win 3rd straight, crush Magic 120-91

For most of the first half of the season, the Washington Wizards consistently lost. They’re suddenly unbeatable, having won three straight.

Emeka Okafor had 19 points and 11 rebounds, leading six players in double figures as Washington cruised to its easiest win of the season, 120-91 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

”That was a beautiful thing tonight,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. ”This has been building.”

The Wizards were just 4-28 before their streak, but beat Oklahoma City, Atlanta and now Orlando – all at home – to nearly double their wins total. Washington leaves Tuesday on a five-game, eight-day road trip while the nation’s capital will be consumed by Inauguration ceremonies.

John Wall had 12 points and six assists in 20 minutes in his second game of the season after missing the Wizards’ first 33 with a left knee injury…

Washington shot a season-best 56.1 percent, scored its most points and had its most assists. Emeka Okafor had 19 points and 11 rebounds, A.J. Price and Kevin Seraphin had 18, Beal scored 17, and Jan Vesely matched his season high with 10…

Jameer Nelson had 19 points and 12 assists to lead Orlando, and Nikola Vucevic added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Arron Afflalo, who had 30 points against the Clippers, missed 10 of 11 from the field and finished with two points…

Magic F Hedo Turkoglu did not play for the third straight game. He scored just one point in 37 minutes in his three previous games.

— Reported by the Associated Press

John Wall returns in Wizards win over Hawks

John Wall gave his teammates a lift with 14 points and four assists in his first game of the season, and the worst-in-NBA Washington Wizards have their first winning streak after a 93-83 victory Saturday night over the Atlanta Hawks.

Wall’s playing time will be limited as he returns from a knee injury, but he appeared to have his old speed and explosiveness back while playing seven minutes in the first half and 15 in the second half.

No. 3 overall pick Bradley Beal, getting to play with Wall for the first time, scored 16 points for the Wizards, who are 6-28 but have strung together two wins in a row following their upset of Oklahoma City on Monday.

A.J Price added 16 points and Martell Webster had 15 for the Wizards, who never trailed in the second half.

Jeff Teague scored 19 points, Al Horford had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Josh Smith added 11 points for the Hawks, who have lost five of six. Atlanta had won 18 of its previous 19 against Washington, including six in a row.

— Reported by Joseph White of the Associated Press