Trae Young On Wizards’ Response After Bam Adebayo’s 83: ‘What We Needed’

The Washington Wizards have taken their share of losses this season. But Tuesday’s might have been the most painful of all.

That was the night Bam Adebayo erupted for 83 points for the Miami Heat, a performance that left the Wizards searching for answers and a little pride.

So when Washington took the floor Thursday against the Orlando Magic, the focus was simple. Respond.

The Wizards ultimately fell in overtime, but the effort was far different. Washington erased a 19-point deficit and forced the extra session, something players said mattered after the embarrassment in Miami.

“Bam scored a lot of points. You’ve got to give him credit,” said Trae Young, via The Athletic’s Josh Robbins. “But the way it happened and the way it went down, you see the reaction from people around the league. Around everybody, it’s kind of the same.”

Young added that the Wizards put themselves in that position by letting Adebayo find a rhythm early.

“We allowed it to happen in the first half and gave him a rhythm to even have the confidence to think he was going to get that,” Young said. “The way we bounced back is the way we needed to bounce back tonight.”

Washington’s rally came with a small lineup of Bub Carrington, Leaky Black, Will Riley, Bilal Coulibaly and Anthony Gill. That group caught fire late, shooting 12-of-17 to close regulation.

Coulibaly tied the game with a banked three with 5.8 seconds remaining.

Gill even stood over Desmond Bane during the run and celebrated, a rare flash from a player Robbins described as the Wizards’ most mild mannered voice.

“We know for what we’re trying to build here that’s unacceptable,” Gill said of Tuesday’s game. “Bam had an unbelievable night. We did not respond and we didn’t prepare the way we should have. It showed. We were upset about that.”