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Throughout the 2008-09 season, the Achilles heel of the Washington Wizards has been the inability to close out teams in the fourth quarter, facing another close game heading into the fourth, the Wizards put an end to the problem with a 104-95 win over the Thunder. Without Caron Butler, who missed the game with a sprained ankle, the Wizards put together arguably their best team effort of the season, recording 31 assists and outscoring the Thunder 28-19 in the final period.
"Anytime we break 30 assists in a game I consider that extremely successful," said Interim Head Coach Ed Tapscott. "Every coach's vision is to play unselfishly and share the ball. Then you can let the ball movement and the player movement get you shots. We were able to move the ball throughout the whole game."
The first quarter saw the Wizards build a two-point lead in a high scoring 12 minutes that saw both teams drop in over thirty points. Leading the way for Washington was their new starting backcourt duo of Mike James and Nick Young. Each player dropped in seven first quarter points, with James also facilitating the Wizards offense to the tune of five first quarter assists.
"Mike James is a pro," said Tapscott. "He has been around the league and been a big-time scorer. We have asked him to play the point. His first job is to make sure the forwards get into the game and then look for his opportunities. Tonight he realized that everyone around him was playing really well and decided to keep spreading the ball around. He helped us maintain our flow tonight."
With the backcourt getting the offense going in the first, it was Washington's frontcourt that kept the Wizards lead in the second as
"Without Caron tonight, we knew that somebody had to step up," said Antawn Jamison on Blatche and McGuire . "Offensively they were weapons, and they really benefitted us tonight. They did a tremendous job...scoring, rebounding, and just playing tremendous basketball."
After a back and forth first half, the third quarter began with the Wizards jumping their lead up to nine, highlighted by a McGuire facial on Kevin Durant that came off of a nifty dribble and dish by James on the fastbreak. However, the Thunder did not go away as they answered with their own 8-0 run to end the third quarter, and sent the game into the fourth all square at 76 all.
Having struggled to put teams away in the fourth all season, the Wizards came out and dominated from the get-go, going on a 19-4 run early in the fourth to grab a double-digit lead. The run was ignited by Juan Dixon who dropped in nine of the Wizards' points during the run while also adding an assist. The Thunder never recovered from the fourth quarter flurry as Washington picked up the nine point win.
"It was a big deal to get a win," said Jamison. "The young guys that were in the game did a nice job of sharing the ball, and they got back in transition to make it difficult for them on the offensive end. We have been in a lot of close basketball games, and tonight we found a way to get it done."
The Wizards will now look to end 2008 on a positive note as they travel to Houston and New Orleans for a back-to-back that begins on Monday at 8:30 in Houston.