Wizards lose....again by Julian Gates

On February 22, 2012, the Washington Wizards hosted the Sacramento Kings at the Verizon Center.  Both teams were past due for a win.  The Wizards going into this game were 7-25 and the Kings were not doing much better with a losing record of 10-22.  That is not the only similarity between the two teams.   The Wizards have a very young and talented roster, including their leader and all star point guard John Wall.  The Sacramento Kings lineup is just as young and talented; if not better especially with All Star point guard Tyreke Evans who is former rookie of the year to lead the way.  Sacramento recently drafted former college superstar Jimmer Fredette, who seemed to be a crowd favorite even in Washington D.C.  One fan sitting behind me Clint Gardiner expressed his dedication to Jimmer by saying, “I came to see how Fredette will play, I’ve been following since his college days.”   When the game started, the stadium was half-empty, with rows of unfilled seats in front of me.  This matchup was not the game everyone was running to see.   That fact did not seem to affect the players, as both teams got off to a very fast pace right from tip off, providing plenty of action packed plays. One of those plays included Jimmer Fredette scoring an and-one basket that set the Verizon Center into an uproar.     The key matchup between Evans and Wall kept the fans interested as they both battled back and forth throughout the first half.   Tyreke Evans was obviously the best player on the court, as he scored every way possible, but John Wall and teammate Jamal Crawford helped the Wizards take control of the first half; building them a lead of 68-60 by halftime.    At halftime I asked audience member Stephen Heath how he was enjoying the game, he responded, “Pretty high scoring game, Wizards will probably blow it.” 

The second half started and that is when the losing records started to show.  The pace had slowed down tremendously and turnovers along with simple mistakes began to make up most of the game.   The Wizards continued to win until Tyreke Evans checked out of the game.   Sacramento’s young bench had provided Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Thorton who had taken control of the game and took the lead from Washington in the 4^th quarter with eight minutes left to play.  John Wall and Jamal Crawford tried to carry the Wizards to a win but Isaiah and Marcus were too much for Washington.   The Kings held on to their lead and defeated Washington 115-107.    A Wizards fan Casey Bonner said “Wizards suck and they always will.” as he left the stadium with a bitter attitude.    The Kings snapped their six game losing streak and extended the Wizards losing streak.    The Kings’ fans were happy, Wizard fans were not surprised, and disappointed as everyone exited the arena.   Although both teams are struggling, they both have a promising future.   With All Star break around the corner,  the Washington Wizards look to use the break to go back to the drawing board prepare to give the fans a second half of the season that is better than the first.  At least I hope so.