ESPN Stats & Information 9y

Wall drives Wizards through Knicks

John Wall’s performance in an easy Washington Wizards 102-91 win over the New York Knicks was a picture of perfection, at least in one way.

The Wizards are 20-8, their third-best record through 28 games in team history. The Wizards started 21-7 in both 1968-69 and 1974-75.

Wall finished with 24 points, 11 assists and six rebounds. It was his ninth game with at least 20 points and 10 assists this season, the most of anyone in the NBA. (Next-most is LeBron James, who entered Thursday with six.) The Elias Sports Bureau notes that Wall is the first Wizards player to have a 20-point, 10-assist game on Christmas.

Wall’s 51 points created was nearly 10 more points than his season average (42.3 points created per game). The Wizards are 10-1 this season when Wall scores 20 or more points.

How Wall got it done

The key to the game for the Wizards was how they fared when Wall took the ball to the basket. Washington shot a perfect 8-of-8 and scored 19 points on Wall’s drives (all in the first three quarters). The 19 points were double what the Wizards have averaged scoring on Wall’s drives.

Owning the paint

The Knicks entered the day allowing only 37 paint points per game, the fewest in the league. The Wizards burned them for 50 points in the paint, making 25 of 42 shots.

Washington’s power forwards, Nene Hilario and Kris Humphries, combined to shoot 13-of-17. That included 7-of-9 shooting in the paint and 5-of-6 on midrange, straight-on jump shots.

The floundering Knicks

The Knicks set a dubious distinction in this game. They’ve lost eight straight home games in a single season for the first time in team history.

Carmelo Anthony did score 34 points in defeat. He’s scored at least 30 points in all four Christmas games in which he’s played, but his team is 1-3 in those games.

Elias Sports Bureau Stat of the Day

The Wizards are 15-7 all time on Christmas. Their .682 winning percentage is the third-best of any team on Christmas, trailing the Trail Blazers (14-3) and the Heat (8-2).

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