John Wall returns and the Wizards clinch a playoff spot
April, 2018
For an afternoon game in the dregs of the regular season, all eyes seemed to be on Capital One Arena as a cluster of reporters were huddled around the corner locker. “The Ferrari” was back.
On Saturday, John Wall made his triumphant return from a left knee injury that sidelined him for 27 games and emulated the form that earned him an All-Star spot earlier in the season. Although his shot was off (6 for 17), the franchise point guard notched his 17th double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 assists, leading the Wizards to a 107-93 playoff-clinching win over the Charlotte Hornets.
“I just wanted to come back and play as well as I could,” Wall said. “I haven’t played in two months, try not to force the issue, just play my game and take shots that I always have, but also keep those guys in a great rhythm, because they’ve been playing well. I was just trying to make their job a lot easier so they don’t have to waste so much energy and I think we did a great job of that tonight.”
Wall seemed set on getting guys open looks beyond the arc, as shooting guard Bradley Beal (22 points) knocked down five of his six three-pointers off passes from Wall.
After suffering a sprained ankle in Detroit, Otto Porter Jr. dropped a game-high 26 points, with Wall assisting on three of his six treys.
Center Marcin Gortat got a couple of easy looks and dunks down the lane as a result of the pick and roll game between him and Wall that they’ve executed so smoothly for the past five seasons. With Wall back and running the offense, the Wizards tied a franchise high of 18 made three-pointers in a game and tallied 30 assists.
Not even two minutes into the action, Wall’s first shot in over two months came from the top of the arc where opposing point guard Kemba Walker dared him to shoot. The team’s cornerstone drained it, getting “The Vault” faithful out of their seats in jubilation.
Playing with no minutes restriction, Wall’s return was marked by highlights that Wizards fans revere him for: finishing through contact at the rim; diving on the floor for a loose ball; and using his speed on the fast break to drive by guys and produce easy looks.
“Not a lot of guys can do that,” Coach Scott Brooks said. “I’ve been around the league as a player and as a coach for a long time, and a lot of guys can’t do what he just did tonight, like he hasn’t missed a beat.”
After a back-and-forth first half, Wall hit his second three-pointer with three seconds remaining in the second quarter to bring Washington within one at halftime. From there, Brooks instructed his guys to pick up the pace offensively, inciting an 11-0 run out of the break that was sparked by three triples from Beal.
Despite forcing 17 turnovers and limiting Walker to seven points and four assists, Brooks wasn’t pleased with his team’s defense.
“We got beat on a lot of things that we’ve got to clean up. It’s not about our offense. We’ve got to get better at stopping the basketball. That’s been a problem and we have to get better.”
With their star point guard back in the fold, the Wizards can now focus on their remaining six games as they prepare for their fourth postseason appearance in the last five seasons.
“We don’t know who we’re playing, and we don’t really care who we play,” Brooks said. “We just want to play well going into the playoffs.”