Wizards Fall to Spurs
The Wizards hung around for much of the night, but ultimately the more experienced Spurs were too much for the young Wizards as they fell, 112-97, on Monday night in San Antonio.
The game was always within reach, but the Wizards were unable to make any kind of major 2nd-half run to bring them back within real striking distance of the Spurs. Every time the Wizards tried to get close, it seemed that Tony Parker had an answer. His game-high 31 points made the biggest difference in the game and the Wizards could do nothing but tip their cap to the veteran All-Star.
For the Wizards, JaVale McGee led the team with 21 points and 15 rebounds.
Jordan Crawford had 19 points, while Nick Young added 18 off the bench.
There is little time for the Wizards to dwell on this loss, as they play in Dallas on Tuesday night.
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Highlights
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Postgame
WIZARDS GUARD JOHN WALL:
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On how tough it is to adjust to the Spurs defense
“They did a great job of going under screens and I missed a couple jump shots. It took me a while to get my rhythm going but they do a great job helping. You basically have to score off transition against the Spurs because when they are set, they are one of the best defensive teams in the league.”
On the Wizard’s defense
“We know we can score as a team because we have a lot of scorers. It just depends on if everybody’s shot is going down on that given night but until everybody is committed as a team defensively; it’s not just the guards, it’s just not the big guys, it’s everyone. We have no help on the weak side, not closing out on shooters. They basically scored anytime they wanted to until we started to play defense in the second half but we can’t wait until the second half to start playing defense against a great team like the Spurs, especially here at the AT&T Center.”
WIZARDS FORWARD ANDRAY BLATCHE:
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WIZARDS CENTER JAVALE MCGEE:
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Thoughts on the game tonight and the Spurs rhythm
“They moved the ball well and they were knocking down their threes, so we really couldn’t do anything about that.”
On what JaVale can learn from a game like this
“We just have to get better on defensive individually and as a team. We just need to help each other out on defense and when we get that down, we will be fine.”
On what they can do on the rest of their road trip
“We have to come out aggressive in the first and second quarter and stay consistent in the third and fourth. Like I pointed out earlier, we must play better team defense.”
WIZARDS HEAD COACH RANDY WITTMAN:
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On the overall game
“We fought hard. We can’t have a first half from a defensive stand point until we get committed defensively for 48 minutes. That’s what it boils down to. That’s what gets a team like this. We obviously had our hands full. I think Parker is playing as well as anybody in the league right now. Obviously, he is a tough cover and I understand that, but we just allowed him to get to the rim time after time. We need to get everybody committed to not worrying about offense because we are scoring enough points. We need to get the commitment defensively for 48. I thought the second half was a little bit better, but you can’t wait until the second half. You can’t wait until you are down while on the road against a team like this.”