WASHINGTON-The Washington Wizards hosted the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night after they split their two-game road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets. The Wizards lost a tough one to Memphis 103-97 and cruised to victory over Charlotte 108-100. With Dallas coming into town, the Wizards had to deal with one of the best players in the NBA, Luka Doncic. Doncic was averaging 34.8 PPG (1st in the NBA), 8.2 RPG, 8.1 APG and 2.0 SPG heading into tonight’s game. Doncic is one of the best all-around players in the NBA and the unquestioned leader of the Mavs. Without Bradley Beal, the Wizards would have to play lights out defensively.
Maybe the Wizards' two-way player , Jordan Goodwin would be the spark Washington needs in this game. Goodwin had a season-high 17 points vs. Charlotte on Monday. Goodwin would play a major role in Thursday’s contest but in a different way. Goodwin didn’t score that many points, but he played major minutes and grabbed seven rebounds and six assists.
The Wizards trailed the majority of this game. It wasn’t till 3:19 left in the 3rd quarter that the Wizards would take the lead for good. Washington would go on to win this contest 113-105, handing the Mavericks their 2nd straight loss. The Wizards were also able to hold Luka Doncic to under 30 points for the second straight game. Kyle Kuzma had an amazing night with the Wizards. Kuzma has 36 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, all team-highs for the Wizards. Rui Hachimura scores 23 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in the victory. Will Barton (14 points) and Deni Avdija (12 points) chipped in for Washington.
Former Wizard Spencer Dinwiddie showed off in his second return to Washington. Dinwiddie scored 33 points, dished out six assists, and grabbed four rebounds. Luka Doncic had 22 points and nine rebounds in the loss. For back-to-back games, the Mavericks have not been able to get on the right track.
The Wizards will take on the Utah Jazz, the best team in the Western Conference Saturday, Nov 12 at 6 PM from Capital One Arena. Washington was able to get a key victory versus a tough opponent from the West and now they will take on the best from the West to try to go 2-0 on this home stand.
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