Paul Pierce and the Wizards figured to have a tough matchup against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night in D.C., but it was the next night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks that gave Washington a bit more trouble.

The Wizards kicked off a weekend back-to-back at home with a 91-78 pounding of the vaunted Cavaliers, then hopped on a plane to Milwaukee where they faced a much tougher battle from the upstart Bucks. In the end, however, behind a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double from The Truth, Washington emerged with 111-100 win in Milwaukee and a weekend sweep.

The wins were a momentum boost for a Washington (9-3) team that now sits atop to the Southeast Division and second in the East.

“With the Eastern Conference the way it is, we feel like we can be one of the top teams, if not the top team and we’re continuing to grow and learn. We’re building,” Paul said. “Not a lot of people are talking about us right now, which is ok. But we’re going to continue to grind, continue to try to pile up wins, and see where we are.”

Washington Wizards v Milwaukee Bucks

Friday’s victory over Cleveland was a big statement for the Wizards, but afterward The Truth, who scored nine points to go with four assists and a block against the Cavs, warned his teammates not forget about the Bucks.

“Every time you have big emotional wins, you come into the next game and those are the games that are trap games,” Paul said after Friday’s game. “And that’s what I try to tell the guys, you know, those are the games that the great teams win. It feels good, hopefully we can put this win behind us and move on because we have another test against a Milwaukee team that’s been playing great.”

Despite Paul’s warning, the Wizards came out flat against the Bucks and fell behind by as many as 15 in the first half. But No. 34 did heed his own advice and as halftime approached, he was determined to close the gap.

That determination fueled a 12-5 Wizards run to end the half, during which Paul scored five straight points and had Washington down just five at the break.

The Wizards went on to take control of the game in the second half and pulled away with the win. Paul finished with a season-high 25 points, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, and he added 10 rebounds and two assists for his first double-double of the season.

Afterward, his Wizards teammates credited Paul’s words and actions with helping them rally in Milwaukee.

“They don’t call him ‘The Truth’ for no reason, man,” Beal said.

WIZ STIFLE FREEFALLING CAVS

The Truth was, going into their meeting on Friday night’s nationally televised showdown in D.C., the Wizards and Cavaliers, two teams with championship aspirations in 2014-15, were heading in different directions. And the result of the game did nothing to change that.

For Paul, it was his 65th head-to-head meeting with long-time rival, LeBron James.

No matter what team each man has played for, the bouts have always been heavyweight slugfests, with each player rising to the challenge of facing off with the other. There has never been any love lost between the two future Hall of Fame forwards, and James explained the nature of their rivalry before the game.

“It’s been great to compete against him over the course of my career,” James said before Friday’s game. “He’s challenged me, I’ve challenged him, and it’s always been great to compete against him. I’ve always said he’s one of the best guys I’ve ever competed against, we’ve been in the same conference my whole 12 years. It’s been extremely fun, it’s been extremely competitive, and I hope we can keep it going.”

Cleveland Cavaliers v Washington Wizards

Although the buzz, surrounded the matchup between The Truth and King James, Paul didn’t let the pre-game hype take he or his teammates out of their game-plan. Their strategy was pretty simple, let Washington’s star John Wall take center stage.

Wall answered the call with 28 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals, and he dominated the third quarter with 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. After the game, the young point guard told reporters that Paul was in his ear before the game, telling him to be more aggressive and learn to take the game over.

The Wizards also got strong contributions from their bench, from which 40 of their 91 points were scored. Beal tallied 12 as he continues to ease back into the lineup and reserve big man Kevin Seraphin added 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks, one of his best performances.

“They’re growing with confidence,” Paul said of the bench. “Any number of guys can step up.”

While he didn’t make much noise on the offensive end, Paul’s impact was undoubtedly felt on the defensive end where he was tasked with shutting down the multi-faceted offensive talent of James. When he was in the game, Paul stayed locked in on the four-time league MVP and almost completely shut him down.

It was a different story when James was covered by someone other than The Truth, as he shot 7-of-13 from the field against other defenders. But No. 34 was on him in crunch time and James scored just three points while missing all three of his shots from the field in the frame.

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That defensive work allowed Washington to hold on for the win despite scoring just 11 points in the fourth quarter. Afterward, Paul noted how the focus came down to defense.

“That’s the one constant we have to have, that’s our identity. We have to be a hard-nosed defensive team that can shut down teams when they come in here,” he said. “We’re taking steps in the right direction defensively. I’m a little upset with the way we finished the game offensively, we’ve got to execute better … I thought we settled and I thought we were a little hesitant, but like I said, we’re a work in progress and we just have to get better every game.”

A LESSON LEARNED

Washington Wizards v Milwaukee BucksDespite Paul’s warnings and declarations, the Wizards fell flat early on Saturday night in Milwaukee.

Fatigue may have played a role on the second half of a back-to-back after a physical battle with Cleveland a night prior, but that didn’t deter The Truth, who had endured the most physical battle of all one night prior.

He teamed with Friday’s star John Wall to buoy the struggling Wizards late in the first half.

In the final 2:50 of the second quarter, when Washington went on that 12-5 run, all 12 points were scored by either the veteran wing or the young guard, and they each picked up one of the two assists in that stretch.

“With the quickness of John and the way that he can get into the lane, and find open guys, it really puts pressure on a defense,” Paul said. “They have to make a decision, do they help on him and leave the shooters open or do they let him get into the lane and do what he does.”

Perhaps the play that best demonstrated the dynamic between the two players occurred with about 32 seconds left in the half.

Milwaukee, desperate to put a stop to the Wizards’ crowd-quieting run, launched a three that missed and Paul was there for the rebound. He immediately looked upcourt and found a streaking Wall, who he hit with a gorgeous outlet pass.

Some were shocked when Wall pulled up for an open three in transition.

But the point guard, who has showcased a steadily improving jump shot early on in this season, buried the trey to pull the Wizards were back within three. From there Washington was fired up and ready for the second half.

When the third quarter got underway, it was a triple from The Truth that tied the score.

Moment later he drove to the bucket and drew contact, then sank a free throw that gave the Wizards the lead for good. The two plays were part of a 14-0 Washington run as they surged from a five-point deficit to a nine-point lead.

Paul had seven points in that third quarter and tacked on seven more in the fourth. The 14 points on 5-of-6 from the field were indicative of a larger more efficient second half effort from the Wizards.

After shooting just 29.4 percent from the field in the fourth quarter against Cleveland, Washington put up 37 points on a scorching 66.7 percent shooting in the fourth against Milwaukee.

“We’re growing,” No. 34 said. “We’re continuing to take maturity steps. The first step is how we bounce back after losses and the second step is how we respond after emotional wins in a back-to-back situation. We’re growing, but we still have a lot of growing to do.”

 

Paul made all three of his shots in the period, including a clutch three-pointer to help stop a 5-0 Bucks run and a mid-range jumper to help seal the victory.

With just more than a minute left and Washington up 10, Paul picked up his sixth foul and was replaced by Rasual Butler. As he walked off the court and was congratulated by his teammates for a stellar performance, he noticed a fan clamoring for his attention. As he has done throughout his career, Paul took the time for his fans. The woman’s face makes it perfectly clear that she never expected such an act from the legendary forward.

Though the hot shooting certainly helped the Wizards pull out the second victory of the back-to-back, the biggest impact Paul has had on this young and promising Washington team has been the small stuff.

NEXT UP

After the quick trip to Milwaukee, the Wizards (9-3) returned home, where they will host the Atlanta Hawks (6-5) on Tuesday evening on the front end of another back-to-back. They’ll have to avoid looking ahead, as Wednesday night features a rematch with the Cavs in Cleveland.

Tip-off of Tuesday’s game against Atlanta is set for 7 p.m. ET and it will be televised locally on Comcast Sports Net.

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