The Washington Wizards (18-19) defeated the Milwaukee Bucks (16-25) 106-101 on Wednesday.
On the same day that the Wizards welcomed back one key starter that they had badly missed over the last month, they received bad news on another key component of their squad. Wednesday night saw the return of Bradley Beal after he was sidelined 16 games with a lower leg injury. However, the team also learned earlier in the day that Marcin Gortat had developed an infection in his ailing knee, and would miss a second consecutive game. His defensive presence was particularly missed, as the Wizards managed to prevail with a hard-fought victory despite the Bucks getting the better of them down low, and also outscoring them in the third quarter, 31-15. Both Greg Monroe and Giannis Antetokoumpo managed double-doubles, and Milwaukee outrebounded Washington on the defensive glass by the considerable margin of 37-9. They also outscored the Wizards in the paint, 62-38, two figures that likely would have been drastically different had Gortat's stout defense been in between the Bucks and the basket.
Milwaukee was led by another outstanding performance from Khris Middleton, who has truly come into his own and hit his stride offensively. The 24-year-old tallied a game-high 25 points and added five rebounds, five assists and two steals, the fourth time in the last five games he's scored 20 or more points. Monroe took advantage of a clearer path down low in Gortat's absence, managing 21 points, 12 rebounds, an assist and a pair of steals. Antetokounmpo was right behind him with his own 19-point, 11-rebound effort that also included six assists, two steals and a block. Even second-year pro Jabari Parker got in on the fun, posting a season-high 22 points and supplementing it with six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
The Bucks fell to 16-25 and remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They now head back home and await the Atlanta Hawks for a Friday showdown.
The Wizards enjoyed double-digit scoring nights from each of the five starters, who were unsurprisingly led by John Wall. The All-Star point guard collected 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds, a steal and a block. Jared Dudley was next in line with a 13-point, six-rebound outing, and took away the ball three times on the night as well. Nene Hilario did a solid job in Gortat's stead for the second straight contest, pitching in with 12 points, three assists, two rebounds and two blocks. He also had a trio of thefts, in what would become somewhat of a running theme throughout the game. Garrett Temple, likely starting his last game in place of Beal, was solid with 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and a block, while amassing five steals as well. Otto Porter rounded things out for the first unit with 10 points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Ramon Sessions paced the reserves with 15 points, five assists and a rebound over a highly efficient 22 minutes, and Beal looked good while pouring in 11 points, hauling three rebounds, dishing out three assists and also collecting a steal. In total, Washington was able to induce a whopping 27 turnovers from Milwaukee, which they converted into 36 points.
Washington improved to 18-19 and moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division. They now head to Indiana to face the Pacers on Friday.
