D.C. defense was MIA in L.A.
The Washington Wizards are officially winless at Crypto.com Arena this season. 24 hours after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime on Thursday, the Wiz fell in a 140-115 affair against the Clippers on Friday.
The good news early on was that the Wizards’ offense looked halfway decent over the first two quarters. The team shot 50% from the field and 8/13 from deep, en route to a 64-point first half. Kyle Kuzma led the way with 26 points on 10/14 shooting at the break.
KUZ
26 points on 5-7 from three in the first half. pic.twitter.com/Pxvlpxz0CJ
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) March 2, 2024
The bad news is that the Wizards’ defense was full-on horrendous from start to finish. Perhaps tired legs played a part in the sluggish effort, but LAC picked apart Washington’s resistance — if you can call it that — for 79 first-half points.
The defensive futility didn’t end in the second half. The Clippers started the third quarter on a 24-11 run that saw the Wizards’ deficit balloon to as many as 28 points.
Head coach Brian Keefe waved the white flag early in the fourth as the bench brigade entered with over six minutes left. Despite a season-high 24 minutes for Johnny Davis that included extended garbage time action, the Wisconsin alum produced just 2 points on 1/4 shooting.
Kuzma was the lone offensive bright spot for the Wizards. He finished with 32 points and 7 rebounds. Marvin Bagley III tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Poole added 16 points and 4 assists off the bench.
The Wizards’ 14-game losing steak has come full circle. It started off with a 125-109 loss to the Clippers on January 31 at Capital One Arena. Washington has yet to win since.
The good guys will have a chance to get back on the win column on Monday in a road game against the Utah Jazz.