Washington Wizards News: Bradley Beal and co. beat the New York Knicks with a depleted roster
The Washington Wizards beat the New York Knicks 121-115 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
With the Wizards being down 8 players and essentially being Bradley Beal and the Capital City Go-Go team against the Knicks, this was certainly a shocking win for the team. It was expected for the Knicks would run riot, considering the status of the players besides Beal. But it was a great opportunity for some of the youngsters, as well as some new players, to showcase what they can bring for this team in the future. With that being said, here is an analysis of Monday night's win.
Beal scores 30 points, career-high 37 FG attempts
It is clear at this point that Bradley Beal's lack of efficiency is due to him lacking trust in his teammates. Beal scored 30 points tonight and went 13-37 from the field, 2-4 from the free-throw line, and 2-11 from the 3-point line.
Until he has a few of his regular starters in his lineup, it's unlikely his efficiency will improve anytime soon. There have been several last-minute plays where he refuses to pass the ball and has costed the Wizards. With that being said, keep in mind that this is his team to lead now and in the future, we should let him do what is best for our interest.
Troy Brown Jr. scores career-high 26 points
Considering all the injuries that have piled up, this was certainly the night for Troy Brown Jr. to take over the court alongside Beal. Brown Jr. scored 26 points on the night, racking up 9 rebounds and 7 assists alongside it. He went 9-15 from the field, 6-7 from the free-throw line, and 2-4 from the 3-point line.
It is clearly visible that if given the right amount of minutes, Troy can rack up buckets easily. But considering the injuries and rotations of head coach Scott Brooks, asking for those minutes is very hard. Hopefully, we get to see more performances like this from Troy Brown Jr.
Newly signed Gary Payton II performs well
With a slew of injuries, the Wizards signed guard Gary Payton II from the G-league a few days ago. He made his debut against the Knicks tonight and certainly impressed fans. He scored 10 points besides racking up 11 rebounds and 5 assists. On top of that, he has 6 steals and 1 block, which was the best defense played by any Wizards player this season. For now, it's unclear how big of a role he will have moving forward. He could likely see the same amount of playing time against the Pistons on Thursday, but once Isaiah Thomas is back, will he have a role? We shall find out later this week.
What's next?
The Wizards get a 2-day break, before heading to Detroit to play the Pistons on Thursday. Tune in at 7 PM ET on 26th December for that game.