No Beal, No Problem

Written by Jeremy Batka @EastCoastAssn

The Wizards managed to break a four game losing streak Monday night at the Verizon center beating the L.A. Clippers 98-90.

The Wizards were without Bradley Beal, Trevor Booker and Cartier Martin but for once their opponent may have been even more shorthanded. The Clippers were without stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin making this a very winnable game for Washington who came up just seven points short playing the Clippers in L.A. a few weeks earlier.

The Wizards have struggled finding someone to replace Beal's production in the starting lineup but tonight Garrett Temple did all he could. Temple scored his season high 15 on 7-12 shooting and also contributed on the defensive end blocking 3 shots and snagging three steals.

Temple wasn't the only one picking up Beal's slack though as Martell Webster had another big night from beyond the arc going 5-6 on his way to leading all Wizards with 21 on Monday night. Webster also seemed as if he wanted to be sure to outplay former Wizard all-star Caron Butler.

Butler scored 15 on a tough shooting night in his return to D.C. By far the most impressive Clipper on the night was Jamal Crawford who led all scorers with 28. Crawford will more than likely win the sixth man of the year award and Wizards fans tonight saw firsthand why.

Emeka Okafor had a tough night offensively but still managed to grab 14 rebounds. Nene had 15 points on the night and 7 rebounds. If you could combine Okafor's rebounding skill with Nene's offensive prowess you would have one great big man as both have weaknesses in their game. So when the two play together they compliment each other well.