The Washington Wizards were without Paul Pierce tonight, but they got John Wall back after he missed Monday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The New York Knicks had trouble defending point guards this past season and it doesn’t look like much has changed this year. John Wall lit Madison Square Garden up with 29 points to go along with 7 assists, but his effort wasn’t enough to overcome the Knicks late in the fourth quarter.

Randy Wittman wasn’t pleased with the Washington Wizards’ offense over the past few games, and the team needed to finish preseason strong. Although they didn’t get a win tonight, losing 103-100 at MSG, the Wizards played well without a few key players down the stretch.

John Wall started the game by knocking down multiple outside shots, and once he got it going from the perimeter, it opened up the lane to the basket. Pablo Prigioni and Shane Larkin were outmatched tonight, so I wouldn’t get too excited about John Wall’s great performance. Regardless, it’s good to see Wall get in a rhythm before the start of the regular season.

Besides Wall, Otto Porter was the most impressive player for the Wizards tonight. He scored 12 points in the first quarter, connecting with John Wall on a few three point shots right out of the gate. Surprisingly enough, Porter was able to keep up with Carmelo Anthony defensively, even though he was outmatched in terms of size. Porter finished the game with 22 points on 9-15 shooting to go along with 3 steals. His length allowed him to disrupt some of ‘Melo’s shots, but that didn’t stop him from having a terrific scoring night.

Washington’s offense struggled with John Wall and the starters resting, and the Knicks slowly clawed their way back from a double digit deficit. Anthony got hot in the fourth quarter and the Wizards weren’t able to match his scoring. He scored 30 points tonight.

Damion James was also impressive tonight off the bench, scoring 13 points on 5-5 shooting from the field. Wittman has given chances to players who commit themselves defensively, and James might end up getting a final roster spot as a result. He’s also shot the ball well from outside, which is a bit surprising. There’s a reason why he played for the San Antonio Spurs last season. Damion James could contribute when given the chance.

John Lucas III also made his debut tonight, but was pretty underwhelming. He didn’t score or attempt a shot in 19 minutes of action. Andre Miller got to rest tonight.

All in all, the Washington Wizards looked impressive when the starters were on the floor. John Wall and Otto Porter were both tremendous, and although they lost, it was more important for Wittman’s team to get some sort offensive flow going before the start of the regular season.

That’s it for preseason. Washington will begin the regular season on October 29th against the Miami Heat.