Bradley Beal throws down huge dunk on Kristaps Porzingis

Seraphin was with the Wizards last season and now he is looking for a more expanded role with the Knicks and he could get that if he is productive off the bench. John Wall dropped 13 points of his own, but he had a plus-minus of -11 in the game. “I think there’s only been one practice where we kind of tapered him off a little bit as we went through the practice”.

Or maybe that finish just would have obscured ever-present issues with the team as now constructed.

SLOWDOWN?: Washington played at a much slower pace than they did in putting up 129 points against Philadelphia on Wednesday night.

The Wizards, long defined by their defense, ranked 19th in the league last season in offensive efficiency, scoring 101.8 points per 100 possessions. Beal had one of the worse free throw usage rates among shooting guards in the National Basketball Association. “It’s not something big – something small, ” Seraphin said.

Did the summer help at all?

During Beal’s first three years with the Washington Wizards, he has missed games for a variety of injuries.

Alan Anderson, center, hasn’t practiced yet this season.

The stretch four was the topic du jour of the Wizards’ offseason.

[Follow Dunks Don’t Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball].

“We don’t really mind alternating it that way”. Washington would cut the Knicks’ lead to 85-83 after three, but New York’s rebounding edge and great ball movement all night (25 assists on 42 made field goals) made the difference.

He finished the game making 10 of his 15 shots, while Porzingis dropped nine points with 10 rebounds and two blocks. It would be silly to expect him to replace Pierce’s production by himself, but he will be counted on to make threes in the postseason and space the offense accordingly.

Kris Humphries is likely to start at power forward for the Wizards.

There are a few quicker and more athletic players in the second unit right now, including rookie Jerian Grant. It’s not fair to expect Porter to develop into a legitimate star, but the No. 3 pick in the 2013 draft can become a no-doubt starter.

As evidenced by Tuesday’s preseason opener, the Washington Wizards are going to be a run-and-gun, small-ball team.

And then, you have the other part of Beal’s game. Fisher said it could stay that way, with the first team being better in the halfcourt and subs could get up and down more.