Anyway you look at it, it has been a tough season for the Washington Wizards. They are the worst team in the National Basketball Association at five wins and 22 losses. However, on Saturday, they not only won a game they were not expected to win, they did so in remarkable comeback fashion. The Wizards beat the Memphis Grizzlies 130-122 as a 12.5 point underdog and outscored the Grizzlies 82-54 after trailing 68-48.
This was only the Wizards third win all season on the road. Their first win away from home came on October 24 when they beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-107, and their second win away from home came on December 14 in a 108-89 win over the Indiana Pacers.
The Wizards began the comeback on Saturday with 55 seconds left in the first half. It was a dominant second half for Washington as they outscored Memphis 77-54. The 42 points the Wizards scored in the third quarter were the second most points the Wizards have had in a single quarter this season. The most was 45 points in the first quarter on November 25 in a 132-113 Wizards win over the Atlanta Hawks. This was only Washington’s second win all season, and came through as an 11 point underdog.
In Washington’s win over Memphis, six Wizards reached double digits in points. Guard CJ McCollum of Canton, Ohio and small forward Kyshawn George of Aigle, Switzerland had 28 points each to lead Washington. Center Alex Sarr of Bordeaux, France had 18 points, power forward Marvin Bagley III of Tempe, Arizona had 16 points, point guard Bub Carrington of Baltimore, Maryland had 14 points, and shooting guard Tre Johnson of Dallas, Texas had 12 points. Sarr and small forward Justin Champagnie of Brooklyn, New York had 11 rebounds each.
