Washington Wizards Team Page (PSN: PopcornJones77)

**PopcornJones77** · 10-22-2016, 08:04 PM

Re: Washington Wizards Team Page (PSN: PopcornJones77)

Lebron, Cavs Hold Off Wizards in 104-92 Preseason Victory

By NBA 2K17 Newswire
October 22, 2016

CLEVELAND -- Led by Lebron James's fourth-quarter heroics, the Cavaliers beat the Wizards 104-92, shaking off a fiesty Washington squad that fought to keep the score close for much of the preseason game.

James, finishing with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in 33 minutes, asserted his will in the game's final minutes after the Wizards had cobbled together a four-point lead.

"Washington played with a lot of heart tonight, but we came together to defend our homecourt in the end," James said after the game. "This game was a reminder we can't ever be complacent if we want to defend our rings this year, even in preseason."

The Cavs' Kyrie Irving contributed 20 points, 7 assists and 5 steals in 34 minutes. Kevin Love added 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

Point guard John Wall, who underwent surgery in both knees in May, led the Wizards with 14 points and 7 assists, but also yielded 6 turnovers in 27 minutes.

"My knees feel 100 percent, but I just need to ease myself back into my midrange game and be more carefull with the ball," Wall told reporters. "While we haven't played good in the preseason, we're taking our lumps now so we can get better when the real season starts."

Washington's rookie coach Popcorn Jones echoed Wall's hope for the Wizards to have a stronger showing when the regular season begins.

"With John healthy again, the Wizards will compete every night, but the team really needs to limit stupid turnovers," Jones said, noting Cleveland scored 27 points off Washington's 25 turnovers. "We also need more consistent outside shooting, especially from our guards."

Shooting guard Bradley Beal added 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 32 minutes, but shot only 1-for-4 from the arc. Power forward Markieff Morris, who was traded to the Wizards from the Suns last February, scored 13 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.

Coach Jones highlighted the bench contributions of Kelly Oubre (11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals in 21 minutes) and power forward Andrew Nicholson (7 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals in 23 minutes).

"While it's still preseason, Kelly and Andrew are showing good aggressiveness out there," Jones said. "They're making a strong argument for more minutes and perhaps to be in the game during crunch time in some situations."

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**PopcornJones77** · 10-31-2016, 12:00 PM

Re: Washington Wizards Team Page (PSN: PopcornJones77)

Hawks Crush Wizards 135-76 in Season Opener

By NBA 2K17 Newswire
October 27, 2016

ATLANTA -- In a lopsided season opener, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Washington Wizards, 135-76.

Washington's 59-point loss eclipses the franchise's previous record for a 52-point defeat, when the Baltimore Bullets lost to the Bucks at Milwaukee 151-99 on January 10, 1971.

Led by forward Paul Millsap (21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals), backup bigman Mike Muscala (21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), and guard Dennis Schroeder (18 points, 8 assists, 3 steals), the Hawks dominated a Washington team that looked lost for much of the game.

The Hawks' bench also outscored Washington's 64-19, nearly eclipsing their opponent's overall point total. In another telling stat, Atlanta scored 33 points off the Wizard's 27 turnovers.

"Turnovers and bench production were the difference," Atlanta's head coach Alabama Rob said. "Muscala had a perfect game, and the Hawks attempted 29 more shots then the Wiz, but Wall dominated for Washington."

Guard John Wall scored 20 points on 7-12 shooting, and dished 8 assists, but turned over the ball 6 times. Markieff Morris added 11 points and 6 rebounds, but also 5 turnovers.

During a heated postgame press conference, a visibly irate Wizards's rookie coach Popcorn Jones summed up in one word his view of his team's franchise-worst 59-point loss to Atlanta before knocking over his chair and walking off the dais: "Pathetic."

Jones has clashed with Wizards players, publicly calling out poor performances by stars in the post season.

Morris, whom team sources say could lose his starting spot to forward Andrew Nicholson, declined to speak to reporters after the game.

"This isn't a great way to start off the season," said guard Bradley Beal (12 points, 5 assists, 0 turnovers). "We're not taking care of the ball, we're doing a terrible job of initiating and executing the offense, and we're not playing team defense."

Beal, however, sounded a note of optimism. "We'll get things together," the shooting guard said. "We have to."

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**PopcornJones77** · 11-16-2016, 05:47 PM

Re: Washington Wizards Team Page (PSN: PopcornJones77)

[Placeholder for October 30th game at Memphis]

**PopcornJones77** · 11-16-2016, 05:48 PM

Re: Washington Wizards Team Page (PSN: PopcornJones77)

[Placeholder for November 2nd game vs Toronto]

**PopcornJones77** · 11-16-2016, 06:19 PM

Re: Washington Wizards Team Page (PSN: PopcornJones77)

Wizards Fall to Hawks, 104-94

By NBA 2K17 Newswire
November 4, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While the Wizards avoided a repeat of their October 27th franchise-record 59-point loss to Atlanta, they were defeated by the Hawks, 104-94.

Forward Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 23 points on 10-for-19 shooting, including 2-for-3 beyond the arc, as well as 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists and 2 steals. Guard Dennis Schröder added 19 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds. Bigman Mike Muscala scored 9 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

The Wizards, who at one point trailed the Hawks by 23 points, rallied to come within single digits in the 4th quarter. Guard John Wall, who played 38 minutes, scored 21 points, but shot an abysmal 6-for-23. Center Marcin Gortat added 11 points and 13 boards.

The Hawks expected Washington to play more aggressively in their rematch. "The Wiz played well tonight, no doubt," Atlanta coach Alabama Rob said. "But Paul, Schröder, Muscala and Tim [Hardaway, Jr.] kept it together and willed us to the win."

Washington's coach Popcorn Jones praised his team's efforts to stay in the game despite a 23-point deficit in the 3rd quarter.

"Our team had something to prove to ourselves after losing to the Hawks by 59 points a few days ago," Jones told reporters. "While we all would've preferred a win, I want to give credit to my guys for fighting through and keeping the game competitive at the end."

Wizards players tried to focus on the positives in their 10-point loss to Atlanta.

"We're still gelling as a squad, and some of us are coming back from injuries or, in my case, surgery and off-season rehab," Wall said. "Psychologically, we're all glad we didn't get blown out badly again, but we do have higher expectations for ourselves."

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