Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal Receives Praise From Chris Paul, Doc Rivers Following Career Night
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal scored 41 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon and received praise from Chris Paul afterwards.
Yet to get a signature win, the Washington Wizards found themselves down by double-digits in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon.
After a competitive first half of basketball, it seemed like the Wizards were ready to throw in the towel, conceding victory to the contending Clippers.
But Bradley Beal wasn’t planning on calling it quits, even if it meant he had to will his team to a comeback alone.
Shot after shot, Beal quickly brought the Wizards back within reach. He single handedly re-energized the offense with his scoring, which included a dunk in the half-court.
Beal scored 18 points in the third quarter – the most he’s scored in a single quarter since being picked third overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.
In total, Beal lit the Clippers up with 41 points en route to the most impressive victory of the Wizards’ season thus far.
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He knocked down six of 10 threes, some of which he made in the third quarter when the Wizards needed it most.
Following the game, Beal received praise from Chris Paul and Doc Rivers, who was tossed by the officials near the end of the fourth quarter.
“Brad looked like a totally different person – a lot more aggressive,” Paul said. “This is the Bradley Beal he should be all the time. Tonight he was aggressive, which, in order for this team to be as good as they want to be, he has to be like that.”
Earlier this season, Beal had a tendency to pass up on wide open shots from the perimeter, causing his offensive game to freeze.
While his offense has improved enough for Beal to score off the dribble, the 3-point shot will always be his calling card.
Lately, Beal has focused more on shooting the deep ball, which has opened up the rest of the floor. Now, he’s begun scoring off the bounce because defenses are collapsing, giving him more space to create with the ball in his hands.
Over the past five games, Beal has averaged 27 points and nearly 5 assists. He’s found a rhythm that could potential propel him among the other elite guards in the NBA – a rhythm that was noted by Rivers following Sunday’s win.
“I think Austin [Rivers] said it, ‘I told him to go and shut Beal off’ and he jokingly said, ‘He’s on fire,'” Doc Rivers said. “It’s tough to put out a fire once a guy’s on fire. Give Beal credit, he made big shots.”
