The Washington Wizards face a tough task, forced to rebound from a 0-2 deficit against the top-seeded Toronto Raptors after falling short in a 130-119 slugfest.
Point guard John Wall improved on his shooting woes and delivered a team-high 29 points along with nine assists, but didn't get the help expected from his backcourt mate Bradley Beal, who struggled mightily, logging only 12 points and playing only 25 minutes, mired in foul trouble.
“I really won't know what to say, that is up to Brad to tell you,” Wall said when asked about what might be wearing on Beal, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. “He's been our MVP this year, he's held it down a lot while I have been out. He is not going to make excuses about playing the most minutes [of his career] or being fatigued.”
Yet Wall wouldn't point it all on Beal but looked at himself as part of the reason Beal couldn't provide the spark he was expected to.
“We have to do a better job, and me as a point guard, of getting him involved and trying to find him shots to make it easier on him,” said Wall. “And I know he will be very tough on himself; he is definitely going to get in the gym and get up extra shots and find ways to be more aggressive. We definitely need his scoring and his ability to create for others to make our team better and compete against this team.”
Beal led the team in scoring with 22.6 points per game this season, but he's been unable to elevate his play to bring this series to a tie, scoring only 31 points over the first two postseason games, hoping to do so over the next two games at home.
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