NBA
Regular Season Round 126: Washington W. - Sacramento K. 113-97
Date: March 14, 2015
The Washington Wizards' locker room was not a pleasant place at halftime of their 113-97 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night. A perturbed Randy Wittman vented the frustration that had accumulated during one of his team's worst halves of the season, which resulted in the Wizards facing an 18-point halftime deficit against an exhausted and depleted Kings squad. He chided his players' energy and effort with language colorful enough for him to add a visit to church to his Sunday itinerary. The general gist was simple: 'Basically we were getting punked, Wizards point guard John Wall said. The address helped spark renewed vigor as the Wizards responded with perhaps their best half of basketball this season, outscoring the Kings 67-33 in the final 24 minutes to rally from a 21-point third-quarter deficit and post their first three-game winning streak since early January. With the win, Washington (38-28) stayed within 11/2 games of home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference standings and became the first team to trail by 18 points at halftime and win by 16 since 1948. The Kings (22-43) have lost eight of 10 games. Wall was the catalyst, spearheading the Wizards' defense-fueled comeback with 15 points in the third quarter. He made 3 of 4 three-pointers in the period, confidently stepping behind the arc to deposit the threes as Washington shrunk its deficit from 21 points to one by the end of the quarter. 'I just got into a rhythm, Wall said. 'So I thought this might be a game where I can make a couple, so I took a couple more. The point guard finished with 31 points, which tied a season high, and 12 assists. Paul Pierce was Wall's tag-team partner in the third quarter, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the period. Bradley Beal added 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Rasual Butler chipped in with 14 points off the bench. The Wizards were without Nene (personal reasons), Kris Humphries (groin) and Garrett Temple (hamstring). 'Second half they totally turned it around: energy, what we wanted to do from a defensive standpoint, Wittman said. Saturday night was supposed to be another meatball tossed the Wizards' way, another opportunity to extend their momentum against a tired, depleted team. On Thursday, they walloped a Memphis Grizzlies squad without four of its best players on the second game of a back-to-back. On Saturday, they welcomed a Kings team concluding a taxing eight-game trip with its own back-to-back and without its second-leading scorer, Rudy Gay, who was out with a left patellar tendon strain. The Kings, however, still featured DeMarcus Cousins, and on a night when Wizards center Marcin Gortat was in the spotlight for Polish heritage night, the Kings' all-star center celebrated by feasting on the Wizards and causing a scare for nearly three quarters. But an enraged Cousins, who was on the receiving end of several hard fouls, walked off the hardwood in the fourth quarter screaming at officials with six fouls as his team blew another double-digit lead after doing it against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Cousins exited with 30 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes. 'He got us in foul trouble as well, said Gortat, who scored 13 points and was assessed four fouls. 'It was tough. A lot of weird things went on out there in the game. He is a very good big man. Probably the best. Cousins was an instant terror for the Wizards. He recorded eight points in the game's initial five minutes but picked up his second foul with 4 minutes 58 seconds remaining in the first quarter and spent the remainder of the period on the bench. While Cousins walked off, Andre Miller walked onto the court for the first time to applause. Miller, dealt from the Wizards to the Kings at the trade deadline last month, has seen his workload increase since he reunited with Sacramento Coach George Karl, his boss with the Denver Nuggets. The oldest player to appear in an NBA game this season, Miller entered Saturday averaging 23.2 minutes in 12 games with the Kings. He averaged 12.4 minutes in 51 games with the Wizards. Karl, hired last month as the Kings' third coach this season, has said he would like to reduce Miller's workload, but the crafty point guard didn't appear in need of a respite Saturday. He flawlessly orchestrated a Kings offense without its two top scorers in the first period; Miller, who turns 39 on Thursday, recorded four assists over the first quarter's final four minutes as Sacramento took a 25-21 lead into the second quarter. He continued his strong performance in the second period before he was taken out halfway through the quarter, increasing his total to seven assists to match the most he had in a game for the Wizards this season. Miller helped jump-start a 20-4 run, but he, like the rest of the Kings not named DeMarcus Cousins, struggled the rest of the way. He didn't record another assist in the second half and shot 1 for 6 from the floor on the night as Sacramento was held to an abysmal 28.6 percent shooting after halftime. 'I have to go to church tomorrow because of some of the things that I said and thought at halftime, so I'll make sure to do that tomorrow, Wittman said. 'But give them credit. I told them I am proud of them. Courtesy of: washingtonpost.com
Terms:
Field Goals : 2PM-A (2 point Field Goal made-attempts) 3PM-A (3 point Field Goal made-attempts) FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive) DEF (Defensive) TOT (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed) RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor) AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes) AST (assists) ST (steals) TO (Turnovers) PTS (points) RNK (ranking)
Regular Season Round 126: Washington W. - Sacramento K. 113-97
Date: March 14, 2015
The Washington Wizards' locker room was not a pleasant place at halftime of their 113-97 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night. A perturbed Randy Wittman vented the frustration that had accumulated during one of his team's worst halves of the season, which resulted in the Wizards facing an 18-point halftime deficit against an exhausted and depleted Kings squad. He chided his players' energy and effort with language colorful enough for him to add a visit to church to his Sunday itinerary. The general gist was simple: 'Basically we were getting punked, Wizards point guard John Wall said. The address helped spark renewed vigor as the Wizards responded with perhaps their best half of basketball this season, outscoring the Kings 67-33 in the final 24 minutes to rally from a 21-point third-quarter deficit and post their first three-game winning streak since early January. With the win, Washington (38-28) stayed within 11/2 games of home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference standings and became the first team to trail by 18 points at halftime and win by 16 since 1948. The Kings (22-43) have lost eight of 10 games. Wall was the catalyst, spearheading the Wizards' defense-fueled comeback with 15 points in the third quarter. He made 3 of 4 three-pointers in the period, confidently stepping behind the arc to deposit the threes as Washington shrunk its deficit from 21 points to one by the end of the quarter. 'I just got into a rhythm, Wall said. 'So I thought this might be a game where I can make a couple, so I took a couple more. The point guard finished with 31 points, which tied a season high, and 12 assists. Paul Pierce was Wall's tag-team partner in the third quarter, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the period. Bradley Beal added 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Rasual Butler chipped in with 14 points off the bench. The Wizards were without Nene (personal reasons), Kris Humphries (groin) and Garrett Temple (hamstring). 'Second half they totally turned it around: energy, what we wanted to do from a defensive standpoint, Wittman said. Saturday night was supposed to be another meatball tossed the Wizards' way, another opportunity to extend their momentum against a tired, depleted team. On Thursday, they walloped a Memphis Grizzlies squad without four of its best players on the second game of a back-to-back. On Saturday, they welcomed a Kings team concluding a taxing eight-game trip with its own back-to-back and without its second-leading scorer, Rudy Gay, who was out with a left patellar tendon strain. The Kings, however, still featured DeMarcus Cousins, and on a night when Wizards center Marcin Gortat was in the spotlight for Polish heritage night, the Kings' all-star center celebrated by feasting on the Wizards and causing a scare for nearly three quarters. But an enraged Cousins, who was on the receiving end of several hard fouls, walked off the hardwood in the fourth quarter screaming at officials with six fouls as his team blew another double-digit lead after doing it against the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Cousins exited with 30 points and six rebounds in 30 minutes. 'He got us in foul trouble as well, said Gortat, who scored 13 points and was assessed four fouls. 'It was tough. A lot of weird things went on out there in the game. He is a very good big man. Probably the best. Cousins was an instant terror for the Wizards. He recorded eight points in the game's initial five minutes but picked up his second foul with 4 minutes 58 seconds remaining in the first quarter and spent the remainder of the period on the bench. While Cousins walked off, Andre Miller walked onto the court for the first time to applause. Miller, dealt from the Wizards to the Kings at the trade deadline last month, has seen his workload increase since he reunited with Sacramento Coach George Karl, his boss with the Denver Nuggets. The oldest player to appear in an NBA game this season, Miller entered Saturday averaging 23.2 minutes in 12 games with the Kings. He averaged 12.4 minutes in 51 games with the Wizards. Karl, hired last month as the Kings' third coach this season, has said he would like to reduce Miller's workload, but the crafty point guard didn't appear in need of a respite Saturday. He flawlessly orchestrated a Kings offense without its two top scorers in the first period; Miller, who turns 39 on Thursday, recorded four assists over the first quarter's final four minutes as Sacramento took a 25-21 lead into the second quarter. He continued his strong performance in the second period before he was taken out halfway through the quarter, increasing his total to seven assists to match the most he had in a game for the Wizards this season. Miller helped jump-start a 20-4 run, but he, like the rest of the Kings not named DeMarcus Cousins, struggled the rest of the way. He didn't record another assist in the second half and shot 1 for 6 from the floor on the night as Sacramento was held to an abysmal 28.6 percent shooting after halftime. 'I have to go to church tomorrow because of some of the things that I said and thought at halftime, so I'll make sure to do that tomorrow, Wittman said. 'But give them credit. I told them I am proud of them. Courtesy of: washingtonpost.com
 SACRAMENTO K. (coach: Doug Christie)97 |
| FIELD GOALS | REBOUNDS | FOULS | BLOCKS | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | NAME | MIN | 2PM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OFF | DEF | RB | AS | F | RV | ST | FV | AG | TO | PT | RNK | +/- |
| 64 | WallaiBs, gRQQaZV | 43 | 4-0 (15%) | 4-1 (05%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 60 | 65 | 5 |
| 60 | CIusajs, gRbiQZus | 45 | 7-69 (08.7%) | 5-5 (5%) | 68-61 (90%) | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 45 | 86 | 5 |
| 4 | bZCilluB, eiF | 87 | 4-1 (05%) | 8-8 (655%) | 4-3 (90%) | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 60 | 85 | 5 |
| 84 | bZvRBIQR, mRj | 82 | 6-4 (44.4%) | 6-9 (63.4%) | 8-8 (655%) | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
| 65 | AUiusVis, XaV | 84 | 4-9 (38.7%) | 5-8 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 43 | whIBpsIj, zisIj | 84 | 8-0 (35%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| ballRQ, SjdQR | 88 | 6-3 (80%) | 5-8 (5%) | 8-4 (11.9%) | 8 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 5 | |
| 83 | vijdQF, CiQl | 67 | 3-1 (11.9%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 45 | qLijs, eRDDaR | 62 | 8-4 (11.9%) | 5-5 (5%) | 8-4 (11.9%) | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
| 62 | Cisspa, PBQa | 60 | 6-8 (05%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | -6 | 5 |
| wIUil | 87-02 (05.5%) | 1-67 (46.1%) | 86-82 (90.5%) | 66 | 80 | 41 | 83 | 69 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 61 | 79 | 28 | |||
 WASHINGTON W. (coach: Brian Keefe)113 |
| FIELD GOALS | REBOUNDS | FOULS | BLOCKS | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | NAME | MIN | 2PM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OFF | DEF | RB | AS | F | RV | ST | FV | AG | TO | PT | RNK | +/- |
| 8 | Will, zIhj | 47 | 0-65 (05%) | 3-0 (25%) | 7-65 (75%) | 5 | 8 | 8 | 68 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 46 | 44 | 5 |
| 4 | mRil, mQidlRF | 43 | 8-9 (82.1%) | 8-1 (44.4%) | 3-0 (25%) | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 63 | 64 | 5 |
| 3 | GIQUiU, biQZaj | 48 | 1-7 (11.9%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6-8 (05%) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 64 | 68 | 5 |
| 2 | muUlRQ, eisuil | 89 | 3-1 (11.9%) | 8-3 (05%) | 5-5 (5%) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 63 | 67 | 5 |
| 75 | GIIdRj, gQRT | 81 | 6-3 (80%) | 5-6 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 4 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 5 |
| 43 | OaRQZR, Oiul | 84 | 3-1 (11.9%) | 4-0 (15%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 69 | 64 | 5 |
| 64 | ARQiphaj, KRLaj | 69 | 0-0 (655%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 65 | 65 | 5 |
| 30 | mliaQ, gRzuij | 61 | 4-1 (05%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5-5 (5%) | 8 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| ARssaIjs, eiBIj | 63 | 5-8 (5%) | 6-8 (05%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | |
| 88 | OIQURQ, PUUI | 64 | 5-5 (5%) | 6-4 (44.4%) | 5-5 (5%) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 5 |
| wIUil | 45-00 (03.1%) | 64-81 (05.5%) | 63-69 (28.3%) | 65 | 48 | 38 | 82 | 80 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 64 | 664 | 662 | |||
Terms:
Field Goals : 2PM-A (2 point Field Goal made-attempts) 3PM-A (3 point Field Goal made-attempts) FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive) DEF (Defensive) TOT (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed) RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor) AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes) AST (assists) ST (steals) TO (Turnovers) PTS (points) RNK (ranking)
