Wizards Go Up 2-0 On Birds Of Prey In NBA Playoff Arrangement Defaced By Enthusiastic Refereeing
When Paul Millsap said after Game 1 that the Wizards were playing MMA, not basketball, he mostly inspired jokes. The Wizards hung onto the win, despite a combined 53 fouls and 71 free throws, both up from an already foul-prone Game 1. Bradley Beal provided 31 points on 27 shots, while Brandon Jennings had a key spurt off the bench, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Paul Millsap led the way for Atlanta, and his 27 points came in part due to his 14-of-15 shooting from the free throw line. But it wasn’t just shooting fouls that clogged this game up — it was common ones that prevented the game from ever generating a decent pace or rhythm. The Wizards are fourth in fouls committed per game this season, while Atlanta has drawn the third-most in the league. Wall’s 12-of-15 free throw shooting, for one, can speak at that.
Wizards fans are certainly with me, chanting “refs you suck” throughout the game and sarcastically applauding an obvious correct call like this one late in the game.