The Washington Wizards practiced and watched plenty of film Friday after losing the season opener at home to the Miami Heat the night before, coming to one conclusion: They must rebound better in order to win.
Miami out-rebounded Washington on Thursday 55-40, with a 22-7 advantage on the offensive glass. The most egregious offensive rebound came on the Heat’s final possession, when a Kelly Olynyk put-back with 0.2 seconds left sealed the 113-112 win.
Brooks said the team lost Thursday because of mental mistakes, not effort.
The Wizards were also hampered by foul trouble, particularly starting center Ian Mahinmi, who picked up two early fouls and finished with three points and one rebound in less than 12 minutes of action.
Fortunately, the Wizards have 81 more games to improve.
Meanwhile, Wizards center Dwight Howard conducted full-court sprints and drills. He also ran some set plays with rookie and first-round draft pick Troy Brown Jr., Devin Robinson and Thomas Bryant.
Brooks said Howard remains listed as day-to-day as he recovers from a piriformis injury, a muscle in the buttocks.
The Toronto Raptors and star forward Kawhi Leonard visit Capital One Arena on Saturday. Leonard, who went north from the San Antonio Spurs in a blockbuster trade in the offseason, notched 24 points and 13 rebounds in his Raptors debut Wednesday.
For the second straight game, Washington will host a team on the end of a back-to-back set. The Raptors play the Boston Celtics at home Friday night.
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