Bradley Beal: ‘I Think It Was An Effort Thing’

The Washington Wizards have come up winless through two games so far this season and their most recent loss – a Boxing Day defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic – is particularly tough to swallow.

I think it was an effort thing,” Bradley Beal told Ava Wallace of the Washington Post after the game. “The last couple years Orlando has had our number, and I think it’s just from the standpoint of them playing harder than we do.”

The losses put a damper on Russell Westbrook’s first week with his new team. While Westbrook posted back-to-back triple doubles for the squad, it’s of little consolation given the noise the Wizards hope to make in the Eastern Conference in 2020-21.