The Wizards made NBA history by wasting another great Bradley Beal performance

Jordan Greer

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The Wizards made NBA history by wasting another great Bradley Beal performance image

After the Pelicans' 124-106 victory over the Wizards on Wednesday night — Washington's sixth loss in its past seven games — a reporter asked Bradley Beal a simple question: "Are you frustrated?" Beal only offered four words in response, but his tone and demeanor said much more.

"Is the sky blue?"

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Of course Beal is frustrated. The two-time All-Star totaled 47 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals against New Orleans, yet his team was never really in the game. 

And that is an all-too-familiar feeling for Beal. He is the first player in NBA history to lose 10 straight games in which he scored 40 or more points, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Beal has recorded 13 40-point games. The Wizards are 1-12 and have been defeated by an average of 9.6 points in those contests.

Game Points FG/FGA 3PT FG/3PT FGA FT/FTA Result
Oct. 30, 2019 46 14-20 7-12 11-12 Loss by 1
Nov. 13, 2019 44 17-27 4-6 6-8 Loss by 7
Nov. 15, 2019 44 15-22 1-5 13-14 Win by 21
Dec. 3, 2019 42 16-30 3-6 7-10 Loss by 7
Jan. 26, 2020 40 12-22 1-5 15-18 Loss by 19
Jan. 28, 2020 47 13-31 4-9 17-18 Loss by 20
Feb. 3, 2020 43 15-30 3-7 10-10 Loss by 8
Feb. 23, 2020 53 15-27 5-11 18-20 Loss by 9
Feb. 24, 2020 55 19-33 8-13 9-10 Loss by 3
Feb. 28, 2020 42 17-33 6-15 2-4 Loss by 10
Jan. 6, 2021 60 20-35 7-10 13-15 Loss by 5
Jan. 8, 2021 41 16-29 4-9 5-5 Loss by 9
Jan. 27, 2021 47 17-37 6-14 7-7 Loss by 18

Despite Beal leading the league in points per game (35.4, nearly five points more than second-place Kevin Durant), Washington holds the worst record in the NBA at 3-11. Russell Westbrook, who sat out Wednesday's game, has looked like a shell of himself, and the rest of the roster has been wrecked by injuries and issues with health and safety protocols.

Beal hasn't been shy about showing his exasperation — he admitted his body language could be better — fueling speculation that he will eventually demand a trade. However, Beal continues to resist feeding into the rumors.

"It's tough because we want to win, and I want to win. This is why I stayed," Beal said, referencing the two-year contract extension he signed with the Wizards in 2019. "I want to win. I figured this is the place I can get it done."

Unfortunately for Beal, the only thing the Wizards have done this season is figured out new ways to waste his best performances.

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.