The Washington Wizards were off to their best start in franchise history at 19-6 before they were defeated by the pesky Phoenix Suns Sunday night, 104-92. Eric Bledsoe and Markieff Morris led the way for the Suns, as they both scored 17 points.
Washington had won six straight games overall and eight straight at home at the Verizon Center. Phoenix is now 6-1 against Eastern Conference teams on the road. After losing six games in a row, the Suns have now won three straight games, all of which have been on the road against Eastern Conference opponents.
Rasual Butler and Kevin Seraphin were the only consistent offensive threats tonight, as they combined to score 33 of Washington’s 92 points. John Wall did add 14 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and three steals but just didn’t seem to be enough to break past Phoenix in the second half.
The game was tied at 50 at halftime, but the Suns quickness and smaller lineup was too much for the Wizards in the second half. Washington was able to make it close, but they didn’t capitalize at the costless throw line and couldn't rack up enough easy baskets to put the Suns on their heels.
The biggest strength for Washington is their ability to pass the ball and in turn have a lot of assists. They average about 26 assists per game, which is third in the NBA, but tonight they only had 11, eight of which came from John Wall. When the Wizards don’t have supreme ball movement, they can have trouble scoring the basketball because they don’t have a constant scorer who can put up 30 points by playing one-on-one isolation basketball.
Give a lot of credit to Phoenix’s defense who remained aggressive and really contested the passing lanes, forcing tough shots by Washington players. This is an extremely up-tempo offense that can score in a blink of an eye if you don’t get back on defense. The point guard trio of Eric Bledsoe-Goran Dragic-Isaiah Thomas combined to score 43 points. It’s been hard at times for those three guys to coexist on the court, but tonight they were productive, which is bad news for any team.
It was an off night for the Wizards, but they can redeem themselves and start a new streak Tuesday night, as they face the Chicago Bulls at home at 7:00 PM EST. Phoenix will head back home and face the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night at 9:00 PM EST.