During Game 5 of the Eastern Conference playoff series between the Washington Wizards and the Toronto Raptors, no one played more minutes than John Wall, and yet it was hard to find him within the final stretch. The ball-dominant point guard attempted just two shots.
No one on the Wizards’ roster has more crunch-time minutes this season than Bradley Beal, and yet he was reduced to being a long-distance afterthought. The all-star shooting guard launched a trio of deep attempts, making one futile three-pointer well after the result of Game 5 had been determined.
On Wednesday night the Raptors snatched a three-games-to-two series lead with a 108-98 win behind a dominant showing at the end of the game. With four minutes left in Wednesday’s game, the Wizards were within 94-93 and conceivably on the verge of an elusive road win (including last year, Washington has won eight consecutive playoff games at home but has dropped its past seven on the road). However, Washington’s offense then devolved into a poorly run three-point drill, and the team’s two all-stars virtually disappeared.
After making it a one-point game, Washington missed its next eight shots as Toronto scored 12 straight points to close out the game.
“At that point, we just got to stay aggressive,” Beal said. “We know that they do a good job trying to keep us out of the game and take us out of our actions, be physical, deny us the ball, trap the ball, double, everything. As much as we can, we just have to try to continue to move the ball, be aggressive, and don’t get stagnant.
“I think sometimes we get too caught up in being stagnant and watching, whether it’s John, or me, or Otto [Porter Jr.], whoever has the ball, we just get too stagnant, just ball-watching too much,” Beal continued. “We’ve got to get some ball movement and we’ll be right back on track. We played well, we did enough to win but we just need to make shots at the end of the day.”
The final four minutes in Game 5 contrasted with how the Wizards closed out Game 4 on their home court. Last Sunday when Beal fouled out with the score tied at the 4:58 mark, the team outscored Toronto 12-4 until the final seconds. During that game, Wall provided the difference by scoring and creating for teammates. In Game 5, however, Wall generously set up the opponent.
Wall, who played the entire second half, gave up two possessions in the fourth quarter, and though he secured the ball during the closing stretch, his first shot attempt led to Toronto streaking out in transition. Near the three-minute mark, Wall went to the rim and missed. As Wall sought a foul from the nearest official, Toronto guard CJ Miles grabbed the rebound and sparked a fast break: DeMar DeRozan tossed an alley-oop to Delon Wright, the backup guard who scored 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Wall and Beal could not match the depth in Toronto’s late-game production. The duo received little help down the stretch, as well as throughout the game from starting teammates. Porter has played with a bone contusion in his left leg, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, and scored in single digits for the third time in this series. Markieff Morris managed just six points, again matching his total from two previous games.
“The same shots we were making basically the entire game, we were just missing them towards the end,” Morris said about the late offense.
Then, Morris answered a question on Game 5 potentially being a lost opportunity for the Wizards.
“For sure, to be that close at home against this team, it was there,” Morris said. “We just have to execute towards the end.”