What a time to be an NBA fan.
The Knicks are a surprising contender in the Eastern Conference, riding a nine-game winning streak, and the only team that can boast a similar streak is … the Washington Wizards.
Not exactly the two faces of NBA competence in recent seasons.
Sunday night’s 119-110 victory over the Cavaliers marked the Wizards’ eighth straight win — the team’s longest winning streak since 2001, when Michael Jordan came out of retirement for the second time to play for D.C.
The Wizards’ late-season turnaround (27-33) is mostly due to their dynamic backcourt duo in Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. During the Wizards’ hot streak, Beal has been averaging 32.1 points per game, and Westbrook is averaging 22.4 points, 13.1 rebounds and 11.8 assists.
Beal, who had 33 points on Sunday, became the second player in franchise history to reach 13,000 points, joining Elvin Hayes. It was a quieter night for Westbrook, who still managed to record a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Center Robin Lopez contributed with 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting and the Wizards bench also shined with 51 points.
“It’s a blessing, but we don’t pat ourselves on the back or anything like that because we still got our work cut out,” Beal said after Sunday’s win.
Bradley Beal has led the Wizards on an eight-game winning streak NBAE via Getty ImagesThe Wizards’ much-improved defense and a midseason trade for center Daniel Gafford have also helped in their newfound success.
Just before the trade deadline, the Wizards dealt Troy Brown Jr. and Moritz Wagner for Gafford and Chandler Hutchinson as part of a three-team trade with the Celtics and Bulls. Since acquiring the 22-year-old Arkansas product, Washington is 10-1 when he has played and he is averaging 11 points and six rebounds — more than double his average output in Chicago.
In Sunday’s win over the Cavs, the athletic Gafford recorded 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting, six rebounds, two assists, four steals and four blocks in 27 minutes of play.
If the play-in tournament began Monday afternoon, Washington would be competing for a playoff berth. They’re currently two games ahead of the Bulls for the 10th seed and final play-in spot in the East. The four play-in teams will compete for the final two playoff spots.
Other Eastern Conference teams projected to make the play-in are the Heat (No. 7), Hornets (No. 8) and Pacers (No. 9).
Daniel Gafford (left) has emerged since being traded from the Bulls to the Wizards. NBAE via Getty ImagesWashington has 12 games remaining on its schedule, seven of which are on the road, with three back-to-backs. They’ll face teams that are still vying for playoff positioning: the reigning champion Lakers, followed by the Mavericks, Bucks, Hornets and Spurs. The Wizards will face both the Pacers and Hawks twice.
Citing the team’s “mental and defensive lapses” against the Cavs, Beal said the Wizards can’t repeat those issues when they take on the Spurs on Monday night.
“We damn sure can’t have them against a good team like the Spurs. It means a lot to be part of history and be in this position . . . but we’ve still got a lot of things to improve on in a short amount of time,” Beal said.
The Wizards haven’t been to the playoffs since the 2017-18 season.
Meanwhile, the Knicks continue to shake up the East and are in position to claim the fourth or fifth seed while neck-and-neck with the Hawks at 34-27. If the Knicks can lock in the No. 4 seed, they’ll earn home-court advantage at Madison Square Garden for the first round of the playoffs. They haven’t been on a nine-game winning streak since the 2012-13 season.
Weird NBA times, indeed.
