4 December 1997. Washington Wizards 118, Sacramento Kings 96 (record: 7-11)
Game leaders: Webber (26 points), Webber (14 rebounds), Strickland (10 assists)
This was a fun game to watch as a Wizards fan. They faced a Kings team that hasn't had much success this season, though they have a couple of dangerous offensive players (in particular, Mitch Richmond). It's a game that the Wizards could have taken lightly and wound up in a dogfight.
The Kings weren't that lucky. They played no semblance of defense and the Wizards actually used a running offense for much of the first half. At one points in the second quarter, they scored on 9 straight field goal attempts and had a team field goal percentage over 70 percent. That number went down over the remainder of the game, but the Kings never got the Wizards' lead below double digits (and it got as high as 30 points) after early in the second quarter.
The Wizards got 6 players (including both Murray and Eackles off the bench) in double digit scoring and pounded the glass (21 offensive rebounds, 55 total). They minimized their turnovers (14), even as it got sloppy toward the end. It was a fun game, one that I hope is repeated multiple times in the near future.
December
