The Wizards went toe-to-toe with the Dallas Mavericks for most of the night, but once again, the fourth quarter proved costly. Washington fell 111–105 at Capital One Arena, undone by turnovers, missed shots, and defensive lapses in the final minutes.
Guard CJ McCollum did everything he could to give the Wizards a cushion early. He scored 23 points in the first half, the most by any Wizards player in a single half this season, and has now recorded 20 or more in two straight opening halves, becoming the first Wizard to do that since Bradley Beal from Dec. 16–18, 2021. His scoring set the tone and kept Washington in front or within striking distance.
The Wizards were also shorthanded, playing without Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Khris Middleton, all out for this matchup. Even so, they stayed in the game until the closing stretch, when empty offensive trips and breakdowns on the defensive end opened the door for Dallas.
The Mavericks didn’t ride one star to the finish. No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg finished with 12 points, but Dallas got contributions from multiple players down the stretch including Naji Williams who held it down more of the game.
We asked Alex Sarr what it will take for this team to start finishing games, he talked about the need to lock in on defense and learn from previous games that have ended in 4th quarter meltdowns. Cam Whitmore also emphasized the fourth quarter, saying the Wizards have to be more efficient late.
It all points back to the same theme: this team can compete. They’ve shown it in stretches. But until the Wizards solve their fourth-quarter execution issues, strong stretches won’t turn into wins.
Watch:
Watch Inside Take: Onsite Analysis by Double Take Sports below for a full breakdown of the loss, including more from Alex Sarr and Cam Whitmore on what’s going wrong late in games.