Written by Candace Buckner at Washington Post.com
Following the Washington Wizards‘ season-opening 120-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Bradley Beal served as his harshest critic. … Marcin Gortat honored a late friend. … And Kelly Oubre Jr. turned the 76ers’ catchphrase into a Sunday school lesson.
The top takeaways from the night:
* Washington did not attempt as many three-pointers as it would have liked, taking just 22 compared to 35 from Philadelphia’s freewheeling shooters. The low number reflects on Beal. Though he played a well-rounded game in grabbing six rebounds and sending “the best lob that I’ve ever thrown in my life” to John Wall for one of his four assists, Beal shied away from the arc and attempted just four threes, making his only one in the first quarter.
However, the limited perimeter shooting didn’t bother him as much as missed free throws. Beal spent the final quarter shaky at the foul line. With the Wizards leading, 115-113, with 20 seconds remaining, Beal had a chance to ice the game but clanked his first free throw attempt. During the final quarter, he missed four of six.
“I think I played bad. I really do, I swear I did tonight,” Beal said. “I missed way too many free throws [and] missed way too many shots. There were times where my defensive principles weren’t great. In terms of rebounding I think I did solid. Getting open shots I thought I did an okay job. I’ll tell you that I’m my biggest critic so I always feel like I have to do better and become a perfectionist. I still have a lot of work to do, but I’ll take a win. A win is more important than anything. I definitely have to be better next game.”
* Other than Beal’s fourth-quarter misses, the Wizards capitalized on their trips to the free throw line. Washington hit 30 of 38 overall; last season, the team made 30 or more free throws twice.
* When the Wizards turn to a five-man bench, Jodie Meeks appears to be the scorer of the bunch. In his Wizards’ debut, Meeks scored 14 points (3 of 8 from the field and 7 for 7 from the foul line) but he stood out from the unit that could not hold a nine-point lead in the second quarter, then an eight-point cushion to start the fourth.
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