The Washington Wizards escaped with a 104-98 Game 1 road victory Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks, but it was a costly win.
John Wall (18 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds) and backcourt teammate Bradley Beal (28 points, 7 rebounds) suffered wrist and ankle injuries respectively, though Beal’s appears to be more serious.
Wall is confident that he’ll be fine going forward, but Beal sounded less sure.
Per the WaPo:
Each player spent some time on the Philips Arena floor writhing in pain two quarters apart. First, Wall hurt his left wrist breaking a fall in the second quarter. Beal later sprained his right ankle after landing on a defender’s foot following a jump shot. Wall stayed in the game and later said the pain was more in his hand, not wrist. Regardless, he assured will be available for Game 2 on Tuesday.
“My wrist will be all right,” said Wall, who played through the pain to post 18 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds in 39 minutes. “If it’s not broken, I’ll play through anything.”
Beal’s status is murkier. An X-ray on his ankle was negative, but he didn’t declare himself ready for Game 2. […] “I’ll just treat it over the next couple days and see how I feel,” said Beal, who missed 19 games during the regular season due to wrist and fibula injuries. […] “That’s probably the worst I’ve ever turned it, honestly,” Beal said. “You’re always thinking the worst because you’re in so much pain but I knew after I was able to walk off to the bench I would be able to come back, it was just a matter of re-taping it and just being mentally tough. I can’t let my team down. Even if I’m not a threat, I can still be a decoy. It’s just something I can bring to the table, but you have to have the heart, the will, and the mentality that you’re going to do whatever it takes to win.”
