KyShawn George held the ball with fourteen seconds left on the shot clock during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers, opting for a 3-point attempt instead of passing to Carlton Carrington, Alex Sarr, or Bilal Coulibaly, Basket USA reported.
That missed shot sparked a decisive 14-0 run by the hosts as Washington’s offense completely stagnated.
“What made the difference in this match is that our game froze at the start of the fourth quarter,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “The ball movement we had in the second quarter was not there.”
The visiting team lost 114-101 on the road, recording only 12 assists and highlighting their offensive struggles. Keefe pointed to a lack of ball movement and turnovers as the catalyst for the opponent’s surge.
“Our defense wasn’t as well-positioned as I would have liked in the fourth quarter,” Keefe told Basket USA. “But the lack of ball movement and a few turnovers launched their run, and after that, we spent the rest of the match chasing the score.”
The collective passing issues extend far beyond a single night in Indianapolis. While guard Trae Young ranks third in the NBA with 8.3 assists per contest, the team sits twenty-eighth in the league with an average of 22.8 assists and ranks dead last in total passes executed per game.
Keefe acknowledged that the unit which began the final period had actually built an advantage earlier in the game through active defense and quick ball rotation, leaving the sudden offensive disappearance difficult to explain.
“We had good sequences,” Keefe said. “We have to manage to be more consistent. When we succeed, we are a good team. But we have to be capable of doing it sustainably, for 48 minutes.”
Following five defeats, the Wizards hold a 4-8 record and sit twelfth in the Eastern Conference standings ahead of their next scheduled matchup.
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