The Washington Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. They did it without John Wall. That’s the summary of the game, really. But, I want to take a moment to recognize how great of a person Wall is.

Wall, who formed a friendship with Miyah, a six-year-old girl who lost her battle to cancer, was excused from tonight’s game to attend a walk in her honor.

There are greater things than basketball, folks. While we’re all consumed by his statistics, constant improvement on the court and his leadership, it’s so important to note what a terrific person John Wall is off the floor.

Wall always goes out of his way to support the community and tonight wasn’t any different. We’re really blessed to have a person like Wall representing the Washington Wizards, and more importantly, the nation’s capital.

Now, on to the recap.

In the past, the Washington Wizards never would’ve had a chance against a playoff team in the absence of Wall. With added depth and steady play from Ramon Sessions, that isn’t the case anymore.

Even though the team has improved and they’ve competed without Wall, I was shocked to see how well they moved the ball tonight. Wall is the best passer on the planet, so you’d think the team would struggle offensively. However, the Washington Wizards moved the ball more than I’ve ever seen them tonight.

Sessions, Bradley Beal and even the big men were finding cutters. When the ball handler got trapped, the ball was quickly moved and swung side to side. Otto Porter and Marcin Gortat were spoon fed in the paint for easy baskets. The team has really improved their movement without the ball and it’s only been a handful of preseason games.

Washington took 29 three point shots tonight. Beal made 4 of his 7 tries from deep and looked amazing from the perimeter. He knocked down a one-dribble step back jump shot that looked perfect. I didn’t think it was possible for Beal to improve his already-spectacular jumper, but he somehow managed to do it.

Beal scored 18 points in 21 minutes of action. He went at it with Khris Middleton, so look for that match up going forward. The young guards are both great at what they do: shooting and defending.

The match up between Otto Porter and Giannis Antetokounmpo was also super fun.

The two long, athletic forwards went back and forth as well. Unfortunately for the Cleveland Cavaliers, they cannot go back in time. Porter scored 13 points to go along side 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Giannis dropped 12 points and added 2 blocks to his totals.

Gortat scored 16 points and continued to get easy baskets on rolls to the basket. Again, with Wall out, I thought Gortat would have a tough time getting the ball on the move. That obviously wasn’t the case, though. The guards looked for him and he benefited, making 7 of his 8 attempts.

Once the starters got a breather, the Washington Wizards got another big lift from Gary Neal and…DeJuan Blair. Neal is the ultimate bailout scorer. Whenever the Wizards got in trouble offensively, Neal was there to bail them out. He scored 14.

Blair had a double-double in less than 10 minutes of playing time. Let that sink in. The Bucks’ announcers couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They compared him to Tim Duncan. Seriously. Blair finished the game with 12 points and 14 rebounds in 18 minutes. He really wants to play this season, I guess.

At the end of the fourth quarter, Randy Wittman yanked out his rotation players and gave the players with non-guaranteed contracts a chance to play. Kelly Oubre ran with that group and struggled again.

While he did score just 7 points on 12 shot attempts, Oubre made a key defensive play at the end of the game to secure the win. He stole the ball and took it coast-to-coast for a dunk.

Oubre is going to struggle. He’s 19-years-old and he’s playing at an entirely different level. Still, it’s good to see him show flashes of his potential.

Jaron Johnson made a few clutch plays at the end of the game, including a Sportscenter worthy jam. It’s a shame that Washington doesn’t have a D-League team, because he’s worth another look.

So, there you have it. The Washington Wizards played good basketball without John Wall — something they haven’t been able to do since he entered the league six years ago. Tonight’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks was certainly their most impressive of the preseason thus far.

The Wizards will be back at it on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat.