Inside The Wizards

Wizards Coach Impressed with Effort vs. Thunder

The Washington Wizards fought hard against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 23, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) defends during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Dec 23, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) defends during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards fought a lot in their 123-105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night inside the Paycom Center.

Coming into the game as massive underdogs, the Wizards played like they had nothing to lose, and that worked for them for a decent amount of time.

Through three quarters, the Wizards hung in the game, which impressed head coach Brian Keefe.

“Give our guys a lot of credit tonight,” Keefe said postgame. “We played a good basketball game. Ball was movement great, we were sharing it. Our defense held them to 24 in that third quarter and they just made that little run right there. I thought we ran out of a little gas and during that stretch but our guys battled. Our guys put a terrific game, credit to them.”

Going up against the best team in the Western Conference as the worst team in the Eastern Conference is no small task, especially when several players were out for the Wizards. But the Wizards didn't play like that, they gave it their all even when the deck was stacked against them.

“Our effort was terrific," Keefe said. "I mean this is a good high-powered team with some really high-powered guys and I thought it was a multiple effort game from us defensively. [We] made these guys work first on the boards a little bit but like we gave full out commitment to the game plan. It was impressive.”

This kind of effort is what will keep the Wizards moving on the right path this season. It may not lead to a win against a top team like the Thunder, but Washington may be able to pull out victories against lesser teams with a performance like that.

The Wizards' next game comes Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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