NBA 2019-20: Wizards lose against Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz
The Wizards started out great, only to seem tired in the 4th quarter. It initially seemed like the Wizards could grab a win against the Utah Jazz, but that w was quickly broken. As usual, the defense was lacking tonight except for players like Shabazz Napier and Ian Mahinmi. Head coach Scott Brooks continued his irrational rotations and nothing can be done about that. If there was one game that Wizards could win in their 4-game road trip, it would have been this game against the Jazz. Nonetheless, here is an analysis of Friday night's loss.
Beal scores 42 points after drug test
After scoring back-to-back 50+ point games, Bradley Beal was drug tested by the league. Tonight, he was 8 points shy of another 50+ point game, scoring 42 points with a double-double. It has been a while since Beal recorded a double-double, nonetheless, he did it with 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals. He went 17-33 FG, 2-4 FT, and 6-15 3PT. He certainly wasn't efficient from the 3-point line tonight, but he was the backbone of this team as always.
Bryant scores 16 points in 18 minutes
It is unclear why Brooks doesn't give Bryant good minutes, nor puts him in the starting lineup. Nonetheless, he showed up tonight, scoring 16 points in 18 minutes. He added 2 rebounds and 3 assists to his stat sheet as well. Bryant has been dealing with a foot injury but didn't seem like he had any issues tonight.
If Brooks is limiting his minutes simply to not re-aggravate his injury, it is certainly understandable. Otherwise, Bryant should replace Ian Mahinmi in the starting lineup soon.
What's next?
The Wizards continue their road trip and will head to Oracle Arena to play the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. Tune in at 8:30 PM ET.