The Wizards are spiraling at the worst possible time, having lost six of their last seven games as multiple teams around them in the Eastern Conference play-in have heated up. During their recent slump, a two-game lead on the Bulls for the No. 10 seed has turned into a 2.5-game deficit, prompting Bradley Beal to declare that the team must “be better,” per Ava Wallace of The Washington Post.
“We know that. It’s not rocket science. It’s not a secret,” Beal said. “We got — 10 left? We’ve got to push the last 10.”
Second-year sharpshooter Corey Kispert believes the Wizards have made the mistake of “playing to other teams’ games” during their recent slide.
“Cleveland (played more physically than) us — that’s what they do. Tried to go toe-to-toe with (Sacramento) in pace; you’re not going to win that game,” Kispert explained. “And when you try to beat teams that are really, really good at their own games, that doesn’t work out too well. The Magic played really well together, got to their spots, took advantage of mismatches. And we’re trying to find the right formula.”
Here’s more on the Wizards:
- The Wizards will be in tough as they try to snap their three-game losing streak on Wednesday. They’re playing on the second night of a back-to-back, are up against the West-leading Nuggets, and will be without their leading scorer. A late addition to the injury report due to left knee soreness, Bradley Beal has been downgraded from questionable to out, according to the team (Twitter link).
- Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma will also be unavailable on Wednesday, having been ruled out for a second straight game due to a right ankle sprain (Twitter link). Head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said on Tuesday that he was surprised Kuzma was able to continue playing after suffering the injury on Saturday per Wallace. “He’ll be reevaluated as he progresses — hopefully sooner rather than later,” Unseld said. “But it was a pretty significant sprain.”
- Speaking to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, Kuzma said he has enjoyed living in D.C. since joining the Wizards. “It’s central and it’s low-key and chill,” he explained. “I love where I live. People are not really bothering me too much. It’s an easy pace of life out here, it’s nice.” While that may be a factor in Kuzma’s free agency decision, the forward, who is expected to turn down a 2023/24 player option this summer, sounds like he’s looking forward to considering all his options. “I have the opportunity to go through that process, go through team pitches and go through the back end of being a free agent and learning and getting to know different people,” he said.