On a night in which the Washington Wizards were missing two of their starters in Russell Westbrook and Thomas Bryant, the home team could not be stopped. Call it what you want: beginner’s luck, uncharacteristically bad three-point shooting (14.8 percent) from Phoenix or fortune favoring the Wizards. I call it a 128–107 masterclass win.
Hyperbole aside, there is a lot to like from tonight’s game. Against one of the hottest teams in the west, Washington posted their best defensive effort, holding a potent Phoenix offense to just 107 points.
With Bradley Beal coming back from coronavirus protocols earlier than initially feared and looking strong early (34 points, eight rebounds and nine assists), the Wizards’ defense kept Devin Booker, who finished with 33 points and three rebounds, to six points — none in the final seven minutes of the quarter — and got him to pick up two fouls.