NBA-Sacramento Kings at Washington Wizards

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Shorthanded Wizards fall at home to Kings - The Washington Post

The newest member of the Washington Wizards — all 7-foot-3 of him — walked out of the tunnel over an hour before the team was set to host the Sacramento Kings. Kristaps Porzingis, clad in all red team gear, entered his new home with a wide smile as he prepared for a short pregame workout. A large group of fans had congregated in the nearby stands by the time he finished, awaiting the former all-star. One man held a New York Knicks jersey with Porzingis’s name on it, tag still on.

The pregame session marked the extent of Porzingis’s court time Saturday night at Capital One Arena — the Wizards’ key trade deadline acquisition is still nursing a bone bruise in his knee, which kept him out against the Kings.

The Wizards surely missed him in <a href="http://stats.washingtonpost.com/nba/boxscore.asp?gamecode=2022021227&home=27&vis=23&final=true" target=_blank>a 123-110 loss</a>, which saw the team’s offense sputter in the second half.

Porzingis spent his time on the end of the bench in a gray suit, sitting next to Bradley Beal, who sported a sling on his left arm after he underwent surgery earlier in the week to repair a tendon in his left wrist. The organization hopes that pairing becomes a dynamic duo for years to come, with the arrival of Porzingis helping to persuade Beal to stay with the guard’s free agency looming after the season.

Analysis: NBA trade deadline winners and losers

Wizards Coach Wes Unseld Jr. said there is no timetable for Porzingis’s return from injury. The team considers him day-to-day.

“My only focus is get back on the court as soon as possible,” Porzingis said before Saturday’s loss, “healthy 100 percent and finish the season strong, consistent and hopefully make some noise.

“Just a bone bruise. I kind of played through it a few games in Dallas, but then I realized something’s not right. Did MRI, bone bruise, nothing serious. You just have to sit out some time and let the bone heal. My feeling is that I’m pretty much there where I need to be to start playing. But I think with these kind of things, you have to be a little bit on the safe side to get enough time to heal and not really re-aggravate it.”

Ish Smith, who spent time with the Wizards from 2019 to 2021, saw playing time to start his second tour in Washington. He came back with Vernon Carey Jr. in another deadline deal that sent Montrezl Harrell to Charlotte.

Smith immediately made his mark with a pair of baskets and an assist as the Wizards (25-30) closed the first quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 29-24 lead. Smith finished with nine points and five assists in 20 minutes.

After blockbuster split, Kevin Durant snubs James Harden in all-star draft

The Wizards had a 65-59 lead at intermission but were dominated in the second half. The Wizards went cold, missed several good looks and failed to finish around the rim. The <a href="http://stats.washingtonpost.com/nba/teamstats.asp?teamno=23&type=teamhome" target=_blank>Kings</a> shot 56.6 percent for the game, including 42.9 percent from three-point range. They used a 13-2 run in the third quarter to take an 87-82 lead that they never relinquished in the final quarter.

“I though the first half was really good [offensively]," Unseld said. “Second half, we started to stagnate a little bit. … Some of that is shot-making. But continue to move the ball in a timely manner. Find guys when the ball should find them. … I thought we started holding it a little bit, and that helps the defense quite a bit.”

De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 26 points and Harrison Barnes added 21 for the Kings (22-36). Domantas Sabonis had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in his first game as a King.

Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Corey Kispert posted a career-high 20 points and a career-high six assists. Seven players scored in double figures for the Wizards.

“I feel much more comfortable,” Kispert said. “Can get to my spots and know what I want to do. As far as the assists go tonight, the credit goes to everybody else. They were able to knock down shots. … Those guys made it really easy on me. Defense was kind of flooding over, so one more pass was natural, and they knocked it down. ”

Here’s what else to know from the Wizards’ loss;

The trade deadline saw the Wizards deal Spencer Dinwiddie and Aaron Holiday, effectively pushing Raul Neto into the starting lineup. Barring any unexpected changes, that will be his role the rest of the way.

“We’ve been in constant communication along all the way,” Unseld said before the game. “These last couple days, they moved quickly. So I think he’s aware of his role and things he’s responsible for. He’ll have to take on a larger role than usual. But he’s also been in the starting rotation before. He’ll be fine.”

Daniel Gafford missed his third consecutive game while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Unseld said Gafford is feeling better and the hope was that he would test negative Saturday evening. The Wizards have played just one true center, Thomas Bryant, the past two games.

The Kings added six players — Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, Donte Divincenzo, Josh Jackson, Trey Lyles — at the deadline and they were all available for the first time. Coach Alvin Gentry said he has never coached a team that brought in six players at the deadline but was eager to get them on the floor.

<i>“</i>We’ve just got to work the guys in,” Gentry said before the game. “It’s a little bit different.”

Kareem Copeland has covered Washington's NFL franchise, the Utah Jazz, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers and Green Bay Packers. He has also covered the Olympics, Super Bowls and extensively written about college athletics. 

Kareem Copeland

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Shorthanded Wizards fall at home to Kings

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Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards news from The Washington Post.

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Sports

The Wizards, without a new star and an old one, falter in second half and fall to Kings

Kristaps Porzingis,Stephen Curry

Kristaps Porzingis, Stephen Curry

Tommy Sheppard resets Wizards roster with Kristaps Porzingis - The Washington Post

Tommy Sheppard said he never wants to be afraid to take the big swing, a piece of advice he got from Hall of Famer Jerry West. So after weeks of exploring various trades, the Washington Wizards general manager shifted his weight and swung for the fences minutes before <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/02/10/nba-trades/" target=_blank>Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline</a>.

The organization brought in former all-star Kristaps Porzingis in a deal that sent Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans to the Dallas Mavericks. Porzingis, nicknamed the Unicorn, is the fastest player in NBA history to record 500 three-pointers and 500 blocks and one of five in league annals to post 4,000 points, 1,500 rebounds, 400 three-pointers and 400 blocks before their 25th birthday.

The Wizards also acquired a 2022 second-round pick as Sheppard approached the deadline looking for three things: draft capital, trade exceptions and talent.

Wizards move on from Spencer Dinwiddie, Montrezl Harrell and add Kristaps Porzingis

“There’s only going to be so many opportunities to get talent,” Sheppard said. “And to get talent, you have to give up talent. And understand that three of the players that went out yesterday weren’t with us last season. They were new players, and they were part of our [plan to] go forward.

“But the trade deadline gives you unique opportunities. And Kristaps, we think we upgraded our talent level here.”

The subplot in taking a big swing on the 7-foot-3, 240-pounder is the message that it sends to Bradley Beal. The franchise cornerstone can become an unrestricted free agent after the season and has yet to sign a<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/09/30/bradley-beal-contract-extension-wizards/" target=_blank> four-year, $181.5 million extension that has been on the table since Oct. 1</a>. He could stand to earn roughly $50 million more if he declines the player option for the 2022-23 season.

Beal, who had surgery Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his wrist, wants to win. Plain and simple. The team has fallen to 25-29 after a 10-3 start. Porzingis has dealt with a variety of injuries, though Sheppard said there’s a plan to manage that, and his upside as an elite offensive talent who also provides upper-echelon rim protection, Sheppard believes, was worth the gamble.

Sheppard continued to insist Friday that he and Beal have a good relationship, that the franchise’s No. 2 all-time scorer is going to remain in Washington and that Beal would say otherwise if that was the case.

Bradley Beal,Kristaps Porzingis,im Hardaway Jr.

Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, im Hardaway Jr.

<i>“</i>At the end of the day, I had to do my job,” Sheppard said. “Those guys do their jobs, and we all meet collectively. I have enough history with Bradley and with [Coach Wes Unseld Jr.] that they trust us to do what’s best for the Wizards.

“We’ve shown a willingness to be very aggressive. We’ve shown a willingness not to sit still. We’re going to continue pushing to make this team the very best it can.”

The Wizards certainly didn’t sit still with the pieces acquired from the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/07/29/russell-westbrook-trade-lakers-wizards/" target=_blank>Russell Westbrook trade</a> made in July. Dinwiddie was part of the Porzingis deal. Montrezl Harrell was sent to the Charlotte Hornets for Ish Smith, Vernon Carey Jr., a conditional second-round draft pick in 2023 or 2024 and a trade exception. The team had lost nine of 11 games before <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/02/10/wizards-nets-nba-trade-deadline/" target=_blank>Thursday night’s victory over the Nets</a>, in which both teams were shorthanded after executing major trades.

Sheppard acknowledged the Wizards’ struggles since they were 15-11 when a covid-19 outbreak hit, but he also added that the group did not handle the early success well. He specifically pointed to the defensive drop-off in a season when that is supposed to be a main tenet of the team’s identity.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was also part of the Westbrook deal, had his own thoughts.

NBA trade deadline winners and losers: James Harden and Daryl Morey won

“I would say we all weren’t on the same page,” Caldwell-Pope said after Thursday’s game. “Everybody had their own agendas of how they wanted to attack this year. A lot of guys were fighting for minutes. A lot of guys were complaining about minutes, not getting the ball, not touching it. A lot of things were going into the reason why [the team struggled].

“We started 10-3, which was great. No one had no agendas. They just wanted to come in and win. Everybody was new and was getting to know each other. So we wanted to come in and win. But once everybody started getting comfortable, I feel like a lot of agendas and I would say egos took over.”

The roster management is far from over for the Wizards, the GM said. Point guard is an offseason priority, Sheppard said. The talent level still isn’t enough even after the addition of Porzingis, who was averaging 19.2 points and 7.7 rebounds in 34 games playing with Luka Doncic and the Mavericks.

Unseld is thrilled with the prospects of a Beal-Porzingis combination and hinted that it could be comparable to Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, whom he coached in Denver.

“The two of those guys playing in a two-man game, it’s going to be a nightmare,” Unseld said. “Both guys can shoot with range; both guys can play off the bounce; both guys can handle in certain situations. So it’s a very unique pairing. I’m not going to compare it to two guys I used to work with, but it’s pretty close.”

Tommy Sheppard resets Wizards roster with Kristaps Porzingis

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Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard resets the roster again with Kristaps Porzingis

Washington Wizards and the Brooklyn Nets

Wizards top reeling Nets in a meeting of two teams in transition - The Washington Post

There was something noticeably different Thursday about the pregame video the Washington Wizards play on the big screen before tip-off at Capital One Arena. Familiar faces that were once featured had suddenly disappeared. Others got much more screen time, including someone who had played a total of seven minutes before Thursday.

The Wizards’ pregame media staff clearly had some tinkering to do between the 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline and the 7:30 p.m. tip against the Brooklyn Nets.

Of course, they weren’t the only ones who did some tinkering before the Wizards’ <a href="http://stats.washingtonpost.com/nba/boxscore.asp?gamecode=2022021027&home=27&vis=17&meta=true" target=_blank>113-112 win</a>, a contest between two teams whose rosters after the deadline looked a lot different than a few hours earlier.

Gone for the Wizards (25-29) were starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie (Mavericks), center Montrezl Harrell (Hornets), forward Davis Bertans (Mavericks) and point guard Aaron Holiday (Suns). That left Raul Neto as the only full-time point guard. Cassius Winston, on a two-way contract, saw the floor for the third time this season.

The Nets (29-26) were without James Harden and Paul Millsap, who were sent to Philadelphia as part of the biggest deal of the day, with Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond set to come to Brooklyn.

So the Wizards took the floor with a starting lineup of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Thomas Bryant, Corey Kispert and Neto, who was making his first start of the season. They were still without Daniel Gafford, who remains in the health and safety protocols.

“Before we even came out at the start of the game, just in the huddle, I could just sense everybody had a different vibe,” Caldwell-Pope said. “Their energy or whatever it was, their aura or whatever it was, it was different. I could feel eat. Everybody was antsy. They were just ready. That’s what we needed.”

The teams essentially played to a stalemate before the Wizards closed the third quarter on a 10-0 run to take an 86-78 lead into the fourth. Rui Hachimura hit a pair of three-pointers during the stretch, and Kuzma closed it out with a layup in transition. Kuzma posted 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, notching the first triple-double of his career.

“I thought our ball movement was terrific,” Unseld said. “Obviously, it helps when we make shots, but we did a pretty good job of just finding the next action. We didn’t get caught too often stagnating or ball watching. Kept energy in it. . . . I’ve got to give our guys a lot of credit. By all accounts, it’s a good team win.”

Sparingly used Anthony Gill scored a career-high 15 points as seven players scored in double figures for the Wizards. Coach Wes Unseld Jr. said before the game that his team needed to make up for the missing bodies as a group, and that’s exactly what he got from Neto (season-high 21 points), Gill, Bryant (13), Hachimura (12), Caldwell-Pope (13) and Deni Avdija (13).

James Harden-Ben Simmons blockbuster adds spice to NBA trade deadline day

The Wizards had the advantage in field goal percentage (50.6 to 46.4) and assists (29-19).

“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Kuzma said. A lot of things have transpired. Our main message before the game was, ‘Hey, man, we’ve got 30 games left. It just all depends on us how we want to finish this season. We can continue to dwell and point fingers, or we can just come together and play free and have a lot of fun out there. . . . Ball movement was great. Talking defensively. It was just a lot of fun. ”

Kyrie Irving led the Nets with 31 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Cam Thomas added 27 points.

The Nets got within one possession, but Irving was triple-teamed on the final possession and had the ball forced from his hands.

Here’s what else to know from Thursday’s game:

Bradley Beal underwent wrist surgery in New York on Thursday, and the organization announced it was a success. That in itself was good news, but it was also notable that the franchise cornerstone was still a Wizard after the deadline. Beal can become an unrestricted free agent next season and has yet to sign the four-year, $181.5 million extension that was offered Oct. 1.

After blockbuster split, Kevin Durant snubs James Harden in NBA All-Star Game draft

“The biggest thing for me is for his own recovery, his health,” Unseld said. “Not having him out here, not only tonight, but for the rest of the season, it is what it is. It’s not ideal, but a great opportunity for some of our younger players to kind of elevate, get more minutes. But still, you’d really have a guy like that on the floor for you.”

The Harden rumors dominated the NBA conversation for the past month and Nets Coach Steve Nash believes they also had an impact on his team’s play. The Nets have lost nine straight.

Kareem Copeland

Washington, D.C.

The Wizards, without a new star and an old one, falter in second half and fall to Kings

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Bradley Beal’s surgery complicates Wizards’ plans as NBA trade deadline approaches

Wizards star Bradley Beal will have wrist surgery and miss the rest of the season

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