After a solid first half, everything went wrong for the Wizards including a scary fall for Bub Carrington
The Washington Wizards proved that they could hang with a Eastern Conference heavyweight, the New York Knicks, in back-to-back games. For at least 6 quarters. Washington trailed Coach Tom Thibodeau’s squad by three points at halftime, following last night’s overtime loss. But the Knicks pulled away in the second half to comfortably beat the Wizards, 126-120. Washington falls to 5-25 on the season.
Washington’s fortune turned when rookie Bub Carrington took a very scary fall late in the third quarter. He got trucked by a driving OG Anuoby and, as he fell, Precious Achuiwa accidentally kneed him in the face. It looked like Carrington also hit the back of his head on the hardwood after the fall. He immediately covered his head in the fetal position until play was stopped and had to be taken off in a wheelchair. He missed the rest of the game with a post-tramautic headache, but he was reportedly speaking with teammates and feeling better in the locker room.
Great news: Bub Carrington is speaking with teammates in the Wizards’ postgame locker room and is looking OK.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) December 31, 2024
Washington trailed by just 4 points when Carrington went down and pulled within 1 shortly after. New York finished the third quarter on a 13-5 run and never looked back. Josh Hart messed around and got a triple double: 23 points, 10 assists, 15 rebounds (4 offensive). Karl Anthony-Towns took the scoring responsibilities from Jalen Brunson. KAT scored 32 points on 19 field goal attempts and pulled down 15 rebounds.
The Wizards were missing Jordan Poole (hip) but regained Kyle Kuzma. He came off the bench and scored 9 points. He also only took 9 field goal attempts, which is the fewest he has shot in a game he fully participated in the past two seasons. Malcom Brogdon led the offense with 18 points and 7 assists. Both centers, Alex Sarr and Jonas Valanciunas, had big nights with 18/4 and 22/8, respectively. Bilal Coulibaly struggled greatly en route recording 6 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. He went 1-for-10, which means he at least still kept shooting as he struggled.
Washington will face the Chicago Bulls at home to ring in the New Year. Fans who make it to Capital One Arena at 7 pm on New Years Day will get a Space Jam Corey Kispert bobblehead, for some reason. Sending good vibes and hopes for a speedy recovery to Bub Carrington!