Wizards News
12-5-14: The Washington Wizards have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference in the first five weeks of the 2014/2015 campaign as the team has started the season posting an impressive 9-5 record. The Wizards started this week by playing host to the New Orleans Pelicans at home in Washington. During the contest New Orleans hit a cold streak at just the wrong time as the team finished the first half of the game with just 36 points. As a whole the team shot just 37% from the field and 35% from the three point line as the team never scored than 23 points in a quarter all night long. Washington on the other hand managed 46% shooting from the field and 42% shooting from beyond the arc in a relatively low scoring game. Marcin Gortart led the Wizards with 24 points as Washington went on to beat the Pelicans by the score of 83-80. The Wizards looked to keep their winning ways going in their next contest back at home in Washington as the team played host to the Miami Heat. During the contest the duo of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh carried much of the load offensively but had little help from their supporting cast in Miami. Mario Chalmers was the only other Heat player to score in double figures in the contest scoring 11 points while the Wizards out-shot Miami from the field and from beyond the arc. Washington was led by Rasual Butler’s 23 points as the Wizards went on to beat the Heat by the score of 107-86. The Wizards finished their week off back at home in Washington when the team played host to the Los Angeles Lakers. During the contest the Wizards took full advantage of a slow shooting night from the Lakers and specifically Kobe Bryant. Washington held Los Angeles to just 39% shooting and Bryant to just 8-22 shooting although the Lakers star did score 29 points. Washington on the other hand shot 48% from the field while Bradley Beal scored 27 points in a 111-95 victory over the Lakers. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 12-5. Get your Wizards tickets for next week as the team heads home to host the Denver Nuggets before setting out on the road to face off with the Boston Celtics. The next night the Celtics and the Wizards will be at it again but this time in Washington before the Wizards finish their week in Orlando taking on the Orlando Magic.
11-28-14: The Washington Wizards have been one of the better teams to start the new 2014/2015 season as the team has started their new campaign posting a 7-3 record. The Wizards started this week by traveling back home to host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Washington. In the contest the Wizards were led by 28 points 6 rebounds and 7 assists from John Wall as the team as a whole shot 49% from the field in the game. Meanwhile Cleveland had a horrible night shooting as a team as evident by their 36% shooting percentage from the field and 22% percentage from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers leading scorer was both LeBron James and Kyrie Irving who each had 22 points but it was not enough as Cleveland fell to Washington by the score of 91-78. The very next night the Wizards were back in action again but this time in Milwaukee taking on the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. In the game the Wizards offensive attack was led by Paul Pierce as the veteran had a 25 points and 10 rebound double-double as Marcin Gortat also added a double-double of his own for Washington. The Bucks countered with 27 points from Brandon Knight and 43% team shooting but it was not enough. Milwaukee ended up losing the contest to the Wizards by the final score of 111-100. The Wizards looked to keep their winning ways going in their next contest as the team played host to the Atlanta Hawks at home. In the contest the Hawks were led by 28 points from Jeff Teague while Paul Millsap added a double-double in a game in which Atlanta shot just 42% from the field. The difference in the contest came on the free throw line as Atlanta knocked down six more free throws than the Wizards as the Hawks went on to beat Washington by the score of 106-102. Washington was led by 21 points and 13 rebounds in the contest but it was not enough in the loss to Atlanta. Washington was in Cleveland the night before Thanksgiving playing their final game of the week against the Cleveland Cavaliers. During the contest LeBron James led all scorers with 29 points and 11 assists while Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving combined for 24 points. Anderson Varejoa added 14 points while the Cavaliers went on to beat the Wizards by the score of 106-74. The Wizards offensive attack was led by 22 points from Victor Oladipo but it was not enough as the team shot just 36% from the field in the loss. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 9-5. Get your Wizards tickets for next week as the team heads home to host the New Orleans Pelicans, the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers at home in Washington.
11-21-14: The Washington Wizards had a strong start in the first two weeks of the 2014/2015 season posting an impressive 6-2 start to the campaign. The Wizards started this week by hosting the Orlando Magic at
home in an Eastern Conference game. In the game a pair of Washington players had 16 points each to
lead the Wizards while four others scored in double digits in the contest. The Magic were led by 19
points from Tobias Harris but it was not enough as the Wizards winning ways continues in a 98-93
victory over the Magic. The Wizards finished their week off back in Washington when the team
welcomed the Dallas Mavericks to town for a game. In the contest the Wizards had four players that
scored in double figured on the night including John Wall’s 11 point and 11 rebound double-double but
it was not enough to stop the Mavericks on this night. Dallas was led by 34 points from Monta Ellis in the
contest while the Mavericks went on to narrowly beat the Wizards by the score of 105-102. When the
week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 7-3. Get your Wizards tickets for
next week as the team hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers before heading out on the road to face the
Milwaukee Bucks. Washington will then travel back home to host the Atlanta Hawks before finishing
their week on the road facing off against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
11-14-14: The Washington Wizards had a great start to their 2014/2015 season when the team posted a 4-1 record to start their campaign. The Wizards started this week by hosting the red hot Toronto Raptors at home. In the game the Toronto defense held Washington to just 36% shooting from the field and 16% shooting from beyond the arc in a well-played game for the Raptors. If it were not for 32 trips to the free throw line for the Wizards this game may have gotten out of hand for Washington as Toronto went on to win the game by the score of 103-84. Toronto’s offensive attack was led by 25 points from DeMar DeRozan and 18 points from Terrence Ross in the Raptors victory. The next night the Wizards found themselves in Indiana taking on the Indiana Pacers in their second straight road game. In the contest Indiana’s scoring attack was led by 28 points from Soloman Hill who led all scorers. Washington was led by 18 points from John Wall in a total team effort as five Wizards players scored in double figures in the contest to take down the Pacers by the score of 97-90. Washington finished their week off by hosting the Detroit Pistons at home to close out the week. In the contest Brandon Jennings led all scorers in the contest with 32 points but received little help from Josh Smith, Caron Butler and the rest of his supporting cast in a 107-103 loss to the Wizards. Washington was led by John Wall’s 27 points while four other Wizards scored in double digits in the victory. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 6-2. Get your Wizards tickets for next week as the team hosts the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks in a pair of home games.
11-7-14: The Washington Wizards started their 2014/2015 season off last week by playing a pair of road games
against the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. The Heat was too much for Washington but the Wizards
did get the best of Orlando as the team started their season with a 1-1 record. With the 2014/2015
season entering its first full week the Wizards headed home for their home opener as they welcomed
the Milwaukee Bucks in the contest. Nene led all Washington scorers with 22 points in the contest while
Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter chipped in double digit scoring nights for the Wizards. The Bucks scoring
attack was led by Brandon Knight’s 24 points but it was not enough as the Bucks ultimately fell to the
Wizards by the score of 108-97. With a two game winning streak in their pockets the Wizards traveled to
Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks on the road. New York’s Carmelo Anthony
scored 19 points while Iman Shumpert added 18 points as the only two Knicks to score in double digits
in the game. Washington on the other hand had six players in double figures including 17 points each
from Paul Pierce and Garrett Temple in a 98-83 victory for the Wizards. Washington finished their week
off by traveling home to hose the Indiana Pacers. In the contest Donald Sloan led the Pacers attack with
31 points but the Wizards John Wall matched him with his own 31 point outburst as this game went
down to the wire. Washington had a better supporting cast on the night with three other scorers in
double figures while Indiana only had two other players who scored in double digits. In the end the
Pacers fell to the Wizards in this contest by the score of 96-94. When the week was all said and done the
team finished with an overall record of 1-4. Get your Wizards tickets for next week as the team travels
to take on the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers before heading back home to host the Detroit
Pistons to finish out the week.
10-31-14: The Washington Wizards tipped off the 2014-2015 season by facing off with the Miami Heat on the road after posting a 4-4 preseason record including three straight losses. The Wizards are facing an uphill battle for the 2014/2015 season as the team lost Trevor Ariza in free agency this summer and lost Bradley Beal to injury. The team did sign Paul Pierce to a free agent contract to help replace the production but Washington will ultimately hope that Otto Porter can grow as a player and contribute this season. Porter, Pierce, and the rest of the Wizards traveled to Miami to play the Heat to tip off the season but couldn’t start the campaign on the right foot as Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Norris Cole were too much for the Wizards in the 105-98 victory for Miami. John Wall led the way in the Wizards next game against the Orlando Magic as Washington went on to win their first game of the season by the score of 105-98. Get your Wizards tickets for next week as the team hosts the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers at home with a road game with the New York Knicks thrown in the middle of the two contests.
10-29-14: The Wizards made plenty of noise in the offseason after acquiring Paul Pierce from the Nets and resigning Marcin Gortat long-term. Fronted by the youth of John Wall and Bradley Beal, the excitement surrounding the Wizards has allowed ticket prices to increase considerably since last season. The average price for Wizards tickets this season is $108.27 on the secondary market, up 67.8% from last season’s average of $64.52. The Wizards will play their most expensive game against the Heat on April 14. The average secondary price for that game is currently $175.16 and get-in price starts at $37.
10-24-14: Perhaps the biggest offseason move for the Washington Wizards was acquiring Paul Pierce from the Brooklyn Nets. The 37-year-old Pierce is a proven postseason contender and his wisdom will undoubtedly rub off on a young Wizards team. The Wizards have gone 4-4 over the preseason and finished with a 44-38 record last season.
10-15-14: The Washington Wizards have played through half of their preseason schedule, opening their preseason with a 85-81 win over the Chicago Bulls on Oct 6, followed by a victory over New Orleans, a loss to Charlotte, and a tight 91-89 win over the Detroit Pistons in their last outing on Oct 12. Next on the Washington Wizards preseason schedule is a matchup with Maccabi Hafia tonight at the Verizon Center, followed by three more preseason games with Charlotte, New Orleans, and New York before opening their regular season on the road against the Miami Heat on Oct 29.
10-8-14: The Washington Wizards recorded a win in their first preseason game over the Chicago Bulls this past Monday as the Wizards will take on the New Orleans Pelicans tonight at the Veterans Memorial Arena, followed by an October 10th meeting with the Charlotte Hornets, an October 12th matchup with the Detroit Pistons at the Verizon Center, and remaining preseason games against the Maccabi Haifa, Hornets, Pelicans, and Knicks to finish out their preseason schedule. Washington had a successful campaign last season as they look to improve on their success last season.
9-22-14: The Wizards finally made the jump last year and made the playoffs for the first time since the days of Gilbert Arenas. With John Wall making the all-star team, Bradley Beal making huge strides in his sophomore year, and Marcin Gortat manning paint, the Wizards defeated the Chicago Bulls in the first round before falling to the Indiana Pacers in the semi-finals. This year the team looks to utilize their new veteran leadership and youth at small forward in Paul Pierce and Otto Porter jr, the latter having a breakout summer league performance. Along with new additions Kris Humphries and Dejuan Blair the Wizards have the potential to win the southeast division.
8-13-14: The Washington Wizards this offseason showed that they are looking to be a threat to win the crown in the Eastern Conference. While they didn’t make a big splash in this year’s free agency they did make a lot of acquisitions and added depth that will only make this team better. Washington was able to acquire veteran player Paul Pierce for a 2 year deal worth over 10 million, while also adding rebounding specialist Kris Humphries through a sign and trade with the Boston Celtics and retaining the services of veteran point guard Andre Miller and forward Drew Gooden on a one year deal that will help the lack of depth the Wizards had on their bench last season. The Wizards also added Dejuan Blair in a sign and trade with the Mavericks.
5-12-14: The Wizards had almost a week to rest between games after finishing their first-round series on Tuesday, April 29. They traveled to Indiana for Game 1 of the second round. The Pacers’ lack of rest was evident in that contest as the Wizards had a strong start to Monday’s game. Although Washington did not have a good history against the Pacers, the Wizards beat them by six points behind a game-high 25 points from Bradley Beal. Washington contained Roy Hibbert in Game 1, but he exploded for a season-high 28 points in the following contest as the Pacers tied the series with an 86-82 victory.
5-5-14: The Wizards are moving onto the second round for just the second time in the last 30 years. Although they dropped their first home game of the 2014 postseason with the 100-97 Game 3 loss, Washington bounced back with two victories to win the series. Nene Hilario was ejected in the fourth quarter of Game 3 after a scuffle with Jimmy Butler, but that was the only game that the Wizards lost all series. Nene was suspended for Game 4, but Trevor Ariza made up for his absence with a team-high 30 points, the most points he has ever scored in a playoff game. Nene returned in Game 5 in Chicago to help the Wizards close out the series.
4-28-14: The big men helped the Wizards to victory in Game 1. Nene Hilario’s game-high 24 points along with Marcin Gortat’s 15 points and game-high 13 rebounds were the main reasons for Washington’s comeback win. Nene shot very well from outside the paint while Gortat was making an impact in the restricted area. Then, on Tuesday, the Wizards made another comeback. After a strong first quarter, Washington struggled in the second and third quarters of Game 2. However, the Wizards finished regulation on a 14-4 run to force overtime, and they then won, 101-99. Randy Wittman’s squad takes a 2-0 lead back to Washington.
4-21-14: The Wizards are finally back in the playoffs, and they are looking for their first postseason series victory since 2005. That series was the last time Washington took on Chicago in the playoffs. The Wizards took two-thirds of the games in that series, and they did the same thing in the 2013-14 regular-season series. Washington will look to continue its late-season success in the playoffs. The Wizards finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak with Bradley Beal and Marcin Gortat leading the way. Beal’s team-high 84 points and Gortat’s team-high 42 rebounds over their final four contests helped them get those victories.
4-16-14: Washington Wizards playoff tickets average $138 on the secondary market, which is 8th in the eastern conference and 15th overall. The regular season average was $65, meaning there is a 111% premium on Wizards playoff tickets. The Wizards are currently the 6th seed in the conference and are set to face the Raptors in the opening round.
4-7-14:The Wizards had yet another strong week as they finished with a 3-1 record. John Wall led the way in the back-to-back set. Washington closed out its homestand with the two victories, and Wall led all players in each contest in points and assists. On Friday, his 20 points and eight assists led the Wizards to the 91-78 victory over the Indiana Pacers. Then, on Saturday, he put up 25 points and six assists as his team beat the Atlanta Hawks by four points. Although the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Wizards on Monday, Washington returned home two days later to clinch its first playoff berth since 2008.
4-1-14: The Wizards had a difficult week against Western Conference opponents. They began it on a good note as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers by double digits behind John Wall’s game-highs in points and assists. Unfortunately, Drew Gooden was fined $15,000 for a flagrant foul in that contest. The news got worse for Wizards fans as Washington dropped its next two contests. Bradley Beal led all scorers at Denver on Sunday with 21 points, but the Wizards fell to the Nuggets, 105-102. Then on Wednesday, Wall put up a game-high 29 points, but that was also not enough. The Suns were victorious, 99-93.
3-24-14: The Wizards are succeeding in trying to stay out of the bottom two spots in the Eastern Conference playoffs. On Friday, Trevor Ariza scored a game-high 21 points in Washington’s 105-101 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic. Then, John Wall had a strong game the next night. His 33 points led the way as the Wizards defeated the Brooklyn Nets by seven points. After those two wins, Washington started a four-game road trip. The Wizards went to Sacramento and Portland and lost both games. Before Thursday’s contest against the Trail Blazers, Marcin Gortat injured himself during pregame warmups. He missed that game, and the Wizards fell by 13 points.
3-17-14: The Wizards did not have a strong week against their opponents from the Eastern Conference. Although they beat the league-worst Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, the Wizards fell to both the Miami Heat and Charlotte Bobcats. In the contest against the Bucks, Trevor Ariza scored a game-high 28 points on just 12 shot attempts as Washington won, 114-107. Then on Monday, Marcin Gortat put up 14 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, but it was not enough to defeat the Heat. On Wednesday, the Wizards hosted the Bobcats, and Al Jefferson was too much for Washington to handle as Charlotte won, 98-85.
3-10-14: The Wizards continued to show promise as they cruised through their stretch against the Eastern Conference. They completed the four-game sweep against opponents from their own conference with a 122-103 win on Saturday at Philadelphia. Trevor Ariza and his career-high 40 points spoiled the 76ers’ Allen Iverson retirement ceremony that night. On Monday, the NBA named John Wall the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, but the Wizards could not keep the winning streak going. They lost by six points to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. However, they bounced back to defeat the Utah Jazz by 13 points on Wednesday.
3-4-14: Despite a late run that included a 40 point 4th quarter, the Wizards fell to the Grizzlies 110-104 last night. Each member of the Wiz's starting lineup scored in double digits, but the bench contributed just 14 points. Tayshaun Prince and Mike Conley led the way for Memphis with 21 and 20 points respectively.
3-3-14: After a 6 year drought, the Wizards are pretty much guaranteed a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference. Opening round tickets at the Verizon Center currently average $192 on the secondary market. The regular season finale vs the Miami Heat is the Wizards most expensive remaining regular season game, averaging $191 per ticket.
3-2-14: The Wizards are really looking good right now. With their 4-0 record this past week, they are making a good case for the third spot in the Eastern Conference. On Saturday, Nene Hilario had a last-second game-winning dunk as Washington defeated the visiting New Orleans Pelicans, 94-93. Then, the following night, the Wizards went into Cleveland and beat the Cavaliers by 13 points. Unfortunately, Nene hurt his knee and is expected to be out four to six weeks. Even without one of their most important players, the Wizards continued to play well. They beat both the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors to move to 30-28.
2-28-14: It took 3 overtimes, but the Wizards finally overcame the Toronto Raptors 134-129 last night at the Air Canada Centre. John Wall and Marcin Gortat lead the way for Washington, with 31 points in 49 and 50 minutes respectively. Bradley Beal added a double-double. Demar DeRozan led the Raptors with 34 points in 57 minutes of floor time.
2-27-14: With the injury to Nene expected to keep him out 6 week, the Wizards have signed veteran Drew Gooden to a 10-day contract. Gooden will be available for tonight's game against the Raptors. The 11 year veteran last played for the Milwaukee Bucks before being amnestied. This will be his 10th NBA team.
2-26-14: After suffering a knee injury in Sunday night's victory at Cleveland, Nene will miss 6 weeks with a sprained MCL. The Wizards will look to Al Harrington and Kevin Seraphin to fill the void during Nene's recovery. There have also been internal discussions of offering veteran Drew Gooden a 10-day contract.
2-25-14: Thanks to a 3 game win streak, the Wizards are back to .500. Currently in the 5th seed, the Wizards are hoping to reach their first playoff berth in the John Wall-era. Thanks to struggles from the teams on the outside looking in (such as the Knicks, Pistons, and Cavs), a playoff run is an extremely likely scenario.
2-24-14: In the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Bradley Beal filled the stat sheet as he put up 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Then on Saturday, Beal shot very well again, but this time, it was in the 3-Point Shootout. He had the best first-round score and forced a tiebreaker with Marco Belinelli in the final round, but the Wizard fell just short. John Wall picked up the slack by winning the dunk contest. He dunked over Washington mascot G-Man to get the victory. Wall also added 12 points off the bench in the All-Star game the next night. The Washington backcourt received just one day of rest before the Wizards played a back-to-back set. They lost to the Toronto Raptors by 10 points on Tuesday and then put the Atlanta Hawks away on Wednesday. Afterwards, the Wizards acquired Andre Miller in a three-team trade.
2-18-14: The Wizards have been limiting their turnovers recently, which is a very encouraging sign as the team tries to get past a difficult stretch of its schedule. In the last few weeks, the Wizards played several Western Conference opponents and survived with a 25-27 record, which is good for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Although the Wizards dropped three of their four games this past week, there were two very bright spots for the team. In Tuesday’s loss in Memphis, Bradley Beal scored a career-high 37 points and on Wednesday, Trevor Ariza knocked in a franchise-best 10 shots from downtown.
2-10-14: The Wizards began their five-game homestand this past week, and they surprised their fans by finally making it above .500. They did it in impressive fashion by knocking off two of the NBA’s best teams this season. With the help of John Wall’s first 15-15 game this season, the Wizards snapped the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 10-game winning streak on Saturday. Then on Monday, Washington sent its Verizon Center crowd home happy as the Wizards beat the Portland Trail Blazers by 10 points. Although the San Antonio Spurs kept up their dominance over the Wizards on Wednesday, it still was a very successful week in our nation’s capital.
2-4-14: Another week ends and the Wizards continue to alternate wins and losses. Last week, they played all of their games at the Verizon Center, but this week was a difficult four-game road trip. Washington participated in two back-to-back sets and won both of the front ends, but dropped each of the second games. On Friday, Trevor Ariza’s game-high 23 points helped the Wizards defeat the Phoenix Suns. John Wall, who was selected as an all-star for the first time in his career, also chipped in a double-double that night. Then after losing at Utah on Saturday, the Wizards beat the Warriors, 88-85, on Tuesday. The next night, the team from the nation’s capital could not handle the Los Angeles Clippers as Washington dropped to one game below .500.
1-27-14: You guessed it: the Wizards are still not above .500. This past week, they had two opportunities against weak Eastern Conference opponents, but could not defeat the Detroit Pistons or the Boston Celtics. Washington alternated wins and losses for the four home contests the team played. First, John Wall’s game-high 23 points led the Wizards to their second victory over the Chicago Bulls in five days. After falling to the Pistons by six points the next night, the Wizards hosted the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. Bradley Beal almost had a triple-double as he guided Washington to the win. Then, John Wall got the elusive triple-double on Wednesday, but the Wizards lost in overtime to the Celtics.
1-20-14: While the Wizards will most likely not win the Southeast Division, they could finish in second place and have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They have been one of the best road teams in the league this season after winning seven of their last nine games away from home. In January, they are 3-1 on the road with the only loss coming at Indiana. After taking down the Bulls in Chicago on Monday, the Wizards impressively beat the Miami Heat two days later. Washington rode an early 20-0 run and a team-high 25 points from John Wall to beat the Heat.
1-7-14: After quite a few strong perfor
mances last week, the Wizards had a relatively average week as they went 2-2 and now stand at 14-15. They quickly bounced back from their 22-point loss in Minnesota on Friday with a 106-82 home win over the Pistons. John Wall led all scorers on Saturday, and he did that again on Monday in Detroit, as he helped the Wizards sweep the home-and-home set with the Pistons. Although the Wizards dropped Wednesday’s contest to the Dallas Mavericks, Trevor Booker brought down a career-high 19 boards. In addition, John Wall has now scored at least 20 points in each of his last eight games, which is by far the longest streak of his career.
12-30-13: The Wizards had a very light week, which included only one game. They traveled to Boston for a Saturday matinee contest in their attempt to sweep their quick three-game trip around the Atlantic Division. They did just that with a 106-99 victory at the TD Garden. Trevor Ariza’s 27 points led all scorers in that contest, and Marcin Gortat also chipped in a game-high four blocks. John Wall had a big day, too: he scored 20 points and recorded six steals, the most steals by a Wizard this season. Kevin Seraphin, Nene Hilario and Bradley Beal contributed to the team effort as well. The Wizards will need full health to be able to put up a fight in the playoffs.
12-22-13: John Wall and company need Bradley Beal and Nene Hilario to be healthy in order for the team to succeed. Beal and Hilario have already been absent in the same game four times this season, and the Wizards have gone 0-4 in those contests. Unfortunately, two of losses came in back-to-back contests against the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers. The second-year guard then returned to the starting lineup on Monday at Madison Square Garden, and he scored Washington’s final eight points, including the game-winning layup. Then on Wednesday, the Brazilian big man returned to help the Wizards sweep the state of New York with a six-point victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
12-13-13: Even though the Wizards played only two games, it was a frustrating week for the team from the nation’s capital. Washington entered Friday’s contest with a .500 record, but then lost to both the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets at home. The Wizards lost those contests by a combined five points, so it will be important for the team to close out games better in the future. However, John Wall led all players in points and assists in each of those contests. With both Bradley Beal and Nene Hilario remaining sidelined, the Wizards continue to be undermanned. Wall cannot be the only scorer on this team if Washington wants postseason success.
12-6-13: After a rough 2-7 start to the season, the Wizards have finally found their stride. Their victories over the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic brought them all the way back to a .500 record. It is impressive that the Wizards have succeeded recently, especially since the team’s leading scorer Bradley Beal remains out for a few more weeks due a leg injury. John Wall has improved his passing, and his 9.2 assists per game rank second-best in the league this season. His health is very important for his team’s chances come playoff time. Wall is looking to play 70 NBA games in a season for the first time in his career and to bring the Wizards their first postseason appearance since 2008.
11-28-13: The Wizards are hot! Washington has won five of their last six games to improve their record to a respectable 7-8 on the year. John Wall and Nene are imposing their will on teams and reminding the league how good they are once healthy. Wall has averaged 30 points per game over the last four contests. It’s not all good news in D.C., as Bradley Beal has been ordered to sit out at least the next two weeks due to a stress injury in his right leg. While it’s not immediately clear the extent of his injury, the team is being overly cautious with Beal after last season’s injuries. Rookie Otto Porter Jr. (yes, he is actually on the team) practiced for the first time with the team this week and should make his debut sometime in the next few weeks.
11-22-13: After two straight wins, Randy Wittman’s hot seat went from flaming back to luke-warm. The Wizards, with playoff expectations, started the season an abysmal 2-7 before securing back-to-back wins against the Timberwolves and Cavs this week. At 4-7 and playing better basketball, the Wizards are trending upward. John Wall is distributing the ball to his playmakers and averaging a career high 9.7 assists and Nene and newly acquired Marcin Gortat are starting to learn how to defend together in the middle. After holding their own players only meeting, things seem to be improving at the moment.
11-15-13:
Bradley Beal has come on strong in his second season, as he’s helped taken some scoring pressure off of star point guard John Wall and leads the team in scoring through three weeks. That hasn’t cured all of Washington’s ailments, however, as the Wiz have dropped four straight after starting at a solid 2-2.
11-8-13: It’s been a tale of defensive inability through four games to start the year for the Wiz, as they’ve gone just 1-3 and allowed over 100 points to their opponents in each contest. Some of that has to do with an unhealthy Nene Hilario, who has missed two games and needs to be healthy in order for Washington to compete at a high level. Point guard John Wall seems to be evolving before our eyes and is leading the Wizards in scoring and assists by a wide margin, but it will take more than stellar play from just Wall to turn the Wiz into a playoff contender.
11-1-13: After playing in all 66 games in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, John Wall only was able to get on the court for 49 contests the following year. Wizards fans saw firsthand the effect that Wall’s absence had on their team: they won just five games without their star point guard last season. A healthy Wall could lead Washington to success in 2013-14, especially after the Wizards had a defense that was among the best in the NBA in 2012-13. Starting alongside Wall is Bradley Beal, who shined during the preseason with his outside shot. Another man who had a solid preseason was Marcin Gortat, who the Wizards acquired right before the regular season began.
10-31-13: Despite John Wall and Bradley Beal leading the Washington Wizards resurgence this season, the average ticket prices for the upcoming year are still down 1.72% from 2012-2013. Blame the Government. The game drawing the most interest in D.C. this season is the January 15th, 2014 game against the Miami Heat, with an average ticket price of $197.
2012-2013 Average Washington Wizards Ticket Price: $87.64
2013-2014 Average Washing Wizards Ticket Price: $86.13
10-26-13: The Wizards have traded traded ig Emeka Okafor and a protected 2014 first-round draft pick to the Suns for center Marcin Gortat and guards Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee and Kendall Marshall.
10-17-13: The Wiz have waived D’Or Fischer. The center had appeared in one game for the Wizards this preseason.
9-28-13: First round draft pick and 3rd overall pick, Otto Porter recently suffered a right hip flexor during a pickup game. He missed the Wizards first practice on Saturday and is listed as day-to-day.
8-23-13: With John Wall officially handed the keys to the team, the Wizards are striving to make their first playoff appearance since 2008. The Wizards inked Wall to a 5-year, $80M extension over the summer, committing their future to the super quick PG. Washington will hope that their young backcourt duo of Wall and Bradley Beal will gel quickly with the number three overall draft pick, Otto Porter Jr, to propel them back to relevance. The biggest offseason gain for the Wizards comes in term of health – with Wall, Beal, Nene and Emeka Okafor finally healthy and ready to play together for a full season.
Washington opens their home season schedule on Friday, November 1st against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Miami Heat will visit the Verizon Center on Wednesday, January 15th and again on the final home game of the season, April 14th. The New York Knicks come to town on Saturday, November 23rd and the Brooklyn Nets visit twice, first on November 8th and again on Saturday, March 15th.
Key Home Games:
- November 1st – Philadelphia 76ers
- November 26th – L.A. Lakers
- December 14th – L.A. Clippers
- January 11th – Houston Rockets
- January 15th – Chicago Bulls
8-2-13: Single game Wizards tickets go on sale to the public on September 6th.
8-1-13: The Wizards and point guard John Wall have agreed upon a five-year, $80 million extension.
7-1-13: Many have said that third overall selection by the Washington wizards Otto Porter is the most talented player in the draft. The 6'8 small forward has drawn comparisons to Tayshaun Prince. Porter average 16 points and seven rebounds per game last season at Georgetown. Any team would be happy with a 20-year-old athletic forward to put on the wing. Ironically Porter won't have to travel far to report to his NBA team With Georgetown Already located in the DC area. With John Wall Bradley Beal and now Porter, the wizards have a very good youth foundation that fans will want to come out and see play. Ticket price averages last season for the wizards were at $98 for their home games. As they continue to grow and get better ticket prices will certainly go up.
Wizards 2013 Draft Summary:
- Round 1, Pick 3: SF Otto Porter, Georgetown.
- Round 2, Pick 5 SF Glen Rice Jr., Rio Grande Valley Vipers (from 76ers).
- Round 2, Pick 24: Washington Wizards - PF Arsalan Kazemi, Oregon.
6-12-13: The Wizards have a very interesting roster moving forward. Missing star point guard John Wall for the large first part of the season really hindered any chances they had at making the playoffs. But when he return, Washington was a tough team to play, especially at home. With the 3rd overall pick in the draft and a young nucleus of Wall and Bradley Beal, the Wizards are sure to make noise in the near future. They also have veteran talent such a Nene and former NBA champion Trevor Ariza. Head coach randy Wittman will be looking for his young pieces to mature and commit to the defensive end if they want to start winning.
2-25-13: The Wizards have opened some eyes recently since the return of John Wall. At 18-37 they hold no threat to the East playoff race but recently they have been downing playoff teams they face at home. The Wizards are 13-9 since the return of Wall and are currently on a 3 game winning streak. During that stretch the Wizards have beaten the Heat, Knicks, Nets and Clippers, all impressive victories. Walla has without a doubt been the catalyst for this recent stretch averaging 14 points and 7 assists. Look for the Wizards and their 22 year old point guard to continue to build confidence under coach Randy Wittman in order to compete in the top eight next year.
11-26-12: The Wizards are the NBA’s only winless team. Coming close in their last game, an overtime loss to the Bobcats wasn’t good enough. The recent return of Power Forward Nene clearly hasn’t changed much. The Wizards are still without John Wall and still will be when they are home for the Blazers followed by a trip to New York to face the Knicks. This young team will continue to play hard for the time being but will also continue to struggle as the season goes along.
