Bradley Beal After Dropping 60 in Loss: “I’m Mad”

Bradley Beal scored 60 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, setting a career-high, but his Washington Wizards lost the game, 141-136. After the game, he would show massive frustration, admitting that he doesn’t enjoy setting records while losing.

Over the past two years, the Wizards were a mediocre franchise, far away from the playoffs. During that time, Beal became the No.1 player in the team, using the fact that John Wall couldn’t play due to his severe injuries. He would establish himself as one of the best scorers in the NBA, but tonight, we saw that prolific shooting guard doesn’t care about points too much once his team loses.

“I’m mad. I don’t count [them]. … Any of my career-highs, they’ve been in losses. So I don’t give a damn. You can throw it right out the window with the other two or three I’ve had,” Beal said.

It is easy to understand him because the Wizards look pretty lost at the moment with two wins and six losses. Even with him performing at the highest possible level, they can’t win. Now, many would remind that Washington went against the league-best 76ers, who are 7-1, and that much better teams couldn’t take down Philly. Even though this is true, it isn’t of big consolation for Beal.

The 27-year old shot 20-of-35 from the field, hitting seven threes in 10 attempts, adding seven rebounds and five assists. Beal had 57 points until the end of the third period, but the Wizards were constantly behind, not reaching the hosts.

Midway through the final period, the game became tight, but the Wizards lacked Beal’s points. He scored just three in the ultimate 12 minutes, and Philly eventually won.

The 76ers shot superbly from three-point territory, hitting 18 of their 29 attempts, 62.1%, and that is the main reason why even a fantastic scoring performance from Beal couldn’t help his side win Wednesday’s match.

His 60 buckets are tied for the most one Wizards’ player scored. Previously, Gilbert Arenas had the same number of points back in 2006.

“I just want to win. Sometimes you might be able to score 40, 50, 60, whatever the case may be, but I just want to win, whatever that looks like,” he said.

The way things look right now, his Washington won’t be competitive this season. Even though Beal has Russell Westbrook instead of John Wall, who was shipped to Houston, the results are pretty poor. Many expected to see the Wizards improving with two superstars on the floor, but for now, that isn’t the case.

Westbrook’s stats are superb, and he currently averages a triple-double per game, averaging 20.6 points, 11.8 assists, and 11.2 boards. Beal drops 30.6 points per night, with 5 boards and 4.7 assists, shooting 45.9% from the field.

It is interesting that the Wizards played four matches at home without winning a single one. Those were back-to-back contests with the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls, and Scott Brooks’ unit allowed 115 points at least in each of those games.

The defense has been the biggest problem for Washington, who is second-worst in the league in allowed points with 120.3. If something radical doesn’t change, the Wizards will continue to lose. And that means more frustration for Beal, who, according to some sources, might be ready to change the team.

Even during this offseason, his name was in the mix for some mega-trade, but he stayed in DC. We’ll see what happens next.