WASHINGTON — It’s understandable to applaud the Washington Wizards’ defense after they held the Charlotte Hornets to 79 points in Friday’s win, which marked the first time they’ve held an opponent under 80 points since March 2015.
But if not for Trae Young and Anthony Davis’ offensive contributions in a stagnant first half, the Wizards’ blowout win could’ve turned into a defensive slugfest.
After a 22-point first quarter that featured countless Davis post-ups and limited ball movement, Brian Keefe relied on his veteran point guard to generate quality looks. Young obliged, scoring Washington’s first 10 points of the second quarter behind a 3-pointer and several floaters.
He smartly foul-baited his way to the free-throw line by pinning defenders on his back and jumping into them to draw whistles. Those calls led to 14 free throws and forced Charlotte’s defenders to over help, which later opened passing lanes Young exploited.
Young scored or assisted on the Wizards’ first 17 points of the second quarter as they took a five-point halftime lead. His contributions changed the game.
“For me as a point guard, I want to get the best shot possible,” Young said. “Sometimes it’s me shooting a floater. Sometimes it’s getting AD an iso and him drawing attention … I think we’re starting to really gel, and our offense is starting to pick back up now that we’re getting some more games under our belt.”
