Thanks to a nice night from Kyle Kuzma and a monster performance from the bench unit, the Washington Wizards closed their four-game road trip with one of their most complete performances of the young season. They downed the Hornets in Charlotte by a final score of 132-116.
DEFENSIVE INTENSITY OFF THE JUMP
After three consecutive tough road games, the Wizards needed a win on Wednesday night, and they got just that. The first quarter was tightly contested, but it wasn't an immediate shootout like some expected. Led by Daniel Gafford and Deni Avdija, Washington's defense set the tone early.
Gafford had a tough assignment in Charlotte going head-to-head with young big man Mark Willliams, but he was ready for the matchup. Gafford had two huge blocks in the first six minutes of the game (his fifth-straight game with at least two blocks -- the longest such streak of his career), the latter of which led to a wide-open Kuzma three in transition. It was the definition of turning defense into offense.
The defensive intensity continued into the second quarter helping the Wizards to only give up 46 points in the first half. A welcomed sight.
"The big key also was the transition," said Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. "We took care of that area, limited the fastbreak points, forced them to play more of a halfcourt game, grind it out for points. And they made some tough plays, but that second-quarter defense was big for us. Another high-deflection night. I thought guys really just exerted the energy, played with some purpose, and I thought in general the communication was where it should be."
DANILO GALLINARI DOING WHAT HE DOES BEST
In the second quarter, Danilo Gallinari made his mark on the game. He knocked down two threes within the first 90 seconds and never looked back. He was dialed in and had all of his patented old-man moves working. Whether it was using shoulder fakes in the post to get around quicker guys, hitting fadeaways from the mid-range, utilizing fancy footwork to get to the cup, or splashing spot-up threes, Gallinari had it working. He scored 13 points in the second quarter, giving the Wizards a crucial offensive boost to match their defensive pressure.
Gallinari helped the Wizards take a 19-point lead heading into the halftime break. While he slowed down a bit over the course of the third and fourth quarters, his presence was still felt. He finished the game with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from deep. But, he wasn't the only bench player who brought their A-game.
THE BENCH MOB
The Wizards' second unit was flat-out incredible on Wednesday night. Gallinari got the party started with his big second quarter but the rest followed suit. Corey Kispert scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Bilal Coulibaly knocked down two big threes. And the backcourt duo of Delon Wright and Landry Shamet put the nails in Charlotte's coffin.
Wright dropped 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 shooting from deep, and 8-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe to go along with three assists, three rebounds, four steals, and countless disrupted plays on defense.
Shamet was spectacular in his own right, scoring 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field in just 17 minutes. He also threw down this vicious dunk.
"The bench was unbelievable," said Unseld Jr. "They've shown spurts for us so far in this young season, and to see it in significant stretches, it's comforting to know you've got guys who can come in and impact the game [both] offensively [and] defensively, stem the tide, hold off runs. That shows a lot of character for guys who hadn't to this point gotten a lot of minutes. But they were ready when their number was called and responded well."
The Wizards got a whopping 72 points out of their bench on Wednesday night.
KYLE KUZMA'S STAR PERFORMANCE
Of course, none of the aforementioned successes of the Wizards would've had the same impact if Kuzma didn't have the star performance he did. Kuzma scored 12 of Washington's first 17 points and it was clear right away that Wizards fans were in for a big night. He had everything going. The jumper, the dribble moves, the finishing around the cup, the cutting off the ball -- everything. He finished the game with a season-high 33 points on 13-of-24 shooting from the field to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, and only two turnovers. Plus, it only took him 31 minutes of action to do it.
Next up, the Wizards will return home for their second In-Season Tournament game. This time, it's a Friday night battle, and it's the Hornets' turn to come to the DMV.