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Scott Brooks took the blame upon himself for not getting his leading scorer back into rhythm, as shooting guard Bradley Beal took only 11 shots in Tuesday's Game 2, resulting in a 130-119 loss to the East-leading Toronto Raptors.
With the series shifting back to Washington, the Wizards sharpshooter noted how his coach “apologized” to him after he took the blame for his lack of shot attempts.
“I guess he figured I wasn’t shooting the ball enough and I guess he thought that was his fault. I don’t know,” said Beal, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. “He’s probably the best confidence-giver.”
The Raptors have outscored the Wizards by 22 combined points in the opening quarters, which has forced the team to start games rallying from behind and failing twice to catch up to the high-scoring Raptors.
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This home court advantage should serve as a crucial opportunity to jump on top early, but Beal will need to be aggressive and Brooks will need to ensure he gets the ball early and often.
Beal was 8-of-17 in Game 1 for 19 points, but only 3-of-11 in Tuesday's Game 2, scoring only nine points.
John Wall and Otto Porter Jr. were the only two starters in double digits with 29 and 12, respectively.
Brooks had speculated of potentially playing Mike Scott as a small-ball five to replace the declining Marcin Gortat — a change that could kick-start a comeback for this Wizards team at a pivotal stretch, hoping to avoid falling into a 0-3 hole.
