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the Washington Wizards continued its pre-season program with a 121-114 victory over Miami heat Friday night. Here are five observations of the game …
Still more than three
The Wizards took 38 trios in their first pre-season game on Monday, but they had more time to help. On Friday, not only did they surpass that mark, but they did it in regulation.
The Wizards have won 39 games against the Heat, which reminds us once again that head coach Scott Brooks takes seriously the fact that his team pulls more often at long distances. If it was a real game, it would have equaled the franchise record for most of the three attempts.
Now, the wizards have again shot horribly from three, only 30.8% in this one. But the strategy had its advantages.
Markieff Morris, for his part, seems to be able to succeed by shooting more than three. Last season, he reached a career high of 36.7% shooting beyond the bow. This year, he could be pushed further outside, with Dwight Howard taking up little space.
Against the heat, Morris overturned 3 of the 5 out of 3 and scored 13 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes.
Mahinmi looks good
The Wizards have used Ian Mahinmi as the starting center while Dwight Howard is still out with a back injury and so far everything is settled. Mahinmi played well against the Knicks on Monday with eight points, seven rebounds and a host of altered shots. He carried the ball over Hassan Whiteside and the Heat with 11 points, four rebounds, two interceptions and two blocks. He even made his five free throws.
Mahinmi, 31, seems to be preparing for her best season to date with the Wizards. It's perhaps a foreboding, but there is certainly something to say about the fact that he was healthy throughout the off season and that he's been counting for two years in the Brooks system.
In addition, the bar is only so high at this stage. He missed 51 games in his first season and although his second year was better, he did not live up to the criteria he set before signing his free agent contract for Washington.
Mahinmi is clearly in top form and has been more active than usual in defending the rim. Until now, his attacking game has been more accurate than we are used to. It may be a direct product of his ability to keep up the pace of the summer by playing basketball and not caring to achieve 100% health.
Loose wall a little
Wall played only nine minutes in the Wizards' pre-season match against the Knicks, but he was allowed to score for 24 against the Heat. Why is it important? Well, Wall was subject to a minor minute restriction for the first game and was granted a day of maintenance this week, just to give it a progressive return.
Brooks did not even talk about restricting the minutes, but several players explained that Wall was not yet complete. It's just a precaution because he missed 41 games last season because of knee injuries. That, and because it's pre-season, there's no reason to push Wall at this point. In case the Wizards do not know how important it is for their success, it's reminded them last season.
Wall, like most players, is playing himself in mid-season, which was evident during one game, especially in the second quarter. The wall found an open path in a half-court game and rode for one of his left-handed signature dunks. Except that Wall was not high enough and filed it.
It was so unusual that Wall threw a bright smile on the wizard's bench as he headed for the floor. He and his teammates know that soon he will reject them with authority.
Wall finished with nine points (4-in-12 FG), nine assists and five rebounds, three interceptions and two blocks, but also four turnovers while he continued to eliminate rust.
Howard sits again
Howard missed his second consecutive game because of back pain, but the tall man seemed to have progressed in his pre-game warm-ups. He has been training after coaching and coaching over the last few days, starting with free throws and midrange jumpers.
This week, he turned to 15-foot jumpers and Mikan's exercises. On Friday, he had light contact with a Wizards assistant. This seems like a good sign for Howard, who has not yet participated in the trials with his new team.
Wade always has
Dwyane Wade recently announced that it would act from his last season, the last of which has been a Hall of Fame career. Although this is his last race, Wade does not seem ready to go out quietly.
Wade did things Dwyane Wade. He scored easily on the Wizards and gave the impression that he was barely trying. He pulled out all sorts of old-timer moves like a basic move and a mid-range faint after a shimmy with his back to the basket.
Wade scored 10 points, all at half-time, and quickly scoured the field considering that he was 36 and was entering his 16th NBA season.
Wade has shown enough to prove that he will always be a factor this season in a Heat team talented enough to play in the playoffs. We will see the end of the year when wear will catch up with it. But it will certainly be on the agenda for October 18, when wizards will open their season against the Heat.
Wade, however, had what you could call a senior moment. He drove to the rim and adjusted to the air defense to shoot a laser from one pass along the baseline. The only problem was that he had no teammate to catch him.
Well, technically, it is not true because it happened directly on the Miami bench.
The bench was open on the wing#WizHeat pic.twitter.com/7NCkiQJv19
– NBC Sports Assistants (@NBCSWizards) October 6, 2018
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