Wizards Drop A Tough One to Memphis 103-97
By: Darrell Owens
Headline Photo Credit: Petre Thomas- USA Today
MEMPHIS-The Washington Wizards (4-5) took a short flight to Tennessee to take on the Memphis Grizzlies (6-3). The big news heading into the game was the loss of Bradley Beal for the Wizards. Beal did not play because he entered Health and Safety protocol for the 2nd time in a month early Sunday morning. Wizards would have two new starters for the game with Beal being out, Deni Avdija, and the newly returning Corey Kispert replacing Anthony Gill. Washington had lost four out of their last five games and was coming off an embarrassing 42-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets. The Wizards needed to bounce back in a big way, but Ja Morant and the Grizzlies are one of the best scoring teams in the league so this would not be an easy task. Morant has been great this season, averaging 29.0 points per game and 7.0 assists per game (1st in the NBA). Morant’s partner in crime, Desmond Bane has been having a career year so far this season. Bane is in the top 20 in scoring and helps the Grizzlies have a formidable one-two punch.
The Wizards jump to an early 9-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Memphis would close the 1st quarter outscoring the Wizards 24-16 and close the lead to one 25-24. The Grizzlies continued to roll in the 2nd quarter going a 19-2 run giving them a 48-32 lead with 7:26 left in the 2nd quarter. Grizzlies finish the 2nd quarter with a 14-point lead 57-43. In the 3rd quarter, the Grizzlies extended their lead to a game-high 23 points. The Wizards would not go away, shrinking the 23-point deficit down to one point before taking the lead 87-85 with 8:03 in the fourth quarter. The lead would be short-lived for the Wizards, as the Grizzlies would pull away for good and win this contest 103-97 grabbing win number seven on the season.
Desmond Bane led all scorers with 28 points and Ja Morant dropped 23 points for the Grizzlies in the win. For the Wizards, Monte Morris scored a team-high 18 points. Rui Hachimura (15 points), Will Barton (12 points) & Kyle Kuzma (12 points) chipped in for the Wizards in the loss. Washington falls to 4-6 on the season. The Wizards will have no time to rest as they will head to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Monday, November 7 at 7 PM from the Spectrum Center.
