Luke Askew

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The Washington Wizards were unable to overcome a slow offensive start on Friday night in Brooklyn. Final score: Nets 124, Wizards 97.

Even at the highest level of basketball in the world, nobody's immune to a cold shooting night. That was the case for both the Wizards and Nets to start this game. Scoring came at a premium in the first half.

After the first quarter, the Wizards were down 26-18 and hadn't connected on a single three-ball (0-for-9). Things turned around a little to start the second quarter with Mike Muscala cashing the Wizards' first three just 30 seconds into the frame and Deni Avdija knocking another one down a couple minutes later. But after those two went in, the team got cold again. They finished the first half shooting 2-of-15 (13.3%) from deep, but they weren't alone. The Nets were also struggling, shooting 3-of-18 (16.6%).

The game remained close thanks to a strong interior presence for the Nets and a well-balanced attack from the Wizards. The Nets racked up 34 points in the paint, while all 10 Wizards that touched the floor recorded a field goal.

In the second half, the Nets offense got on track and the Wizards offense continued to struggle. Mikal Bridges notched 21 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting from the field and helped lead the Nets on a second-half surge.

Kyle Kuzma led the way for the Wizards with 17 points, while Deni Avdija tallied 15 points, seven boards, and four assists. Rookie wing Bilal Coulibaly also had a nice night, securing his first career double-double with an 11-point, 10-rebound performance.

Washington is back in action on Monday night in Philadelphia.

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Recap: Wizards lose 124-97 to Nets in Brooklyn

The Washington Wizards (3-17) are in Brooklyn ready to face the Nets (11-9) as they look to bounce back after a hard-fought loss to the Sixers on Wednesday evening. Here's everything you need to know.

WHERE: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)WHEN: 7:30 p.m. ETTV: Monumental Sports NetworkRADIO: Team 980 & The Wizards App

WIZARDS:Delon Wright (left knee sprain -- out)Ryan Rollins (right knee strain -- out)Johnny Davis (left calf strain -- out)Daniel Gafford (left ankle sprain -- questionable)Landry Shamet (right rib sprain -- out)

NETS:Ben Simmons (left lower back; nerve impingement -- out)Lonnie Walker IV (left hamstring strain -- out)

On Wednesday night against Philly, the Wizards had one of their best offensive showings of the season. They scored 126 points and they did it by moving the ball and getting everyone involved. Six different Wizards players scored between 14 and 23 points and the team dished out a season-high 39 assists. Normally, that's a recipe for a win in the NBA, but reigning MVP Joel Embiid put his superhero cape on and carried the Sixers down the stretch.

If the Wizards can replicate the success they had sharing the ball and getting everyone involved, they'll be in a prime position on Friday night.

The Nets are right around .500 on the season (11-9) but are one of the league's hottest teams right now. They've won five of their last six games with their only loss coming by one point. Over that six-game stretch, they're second in offensive rating (122.4), ninth in defensive rating (111.3), and first in net rating (11.1). They've simply gotten into a rhythm, and it's a rhythm that teams haven't been able to take them out of.

This means the little things will be all the more important on Friday night for the Wizards. Taking care of the ball, getting back on defense, staying out of foul trouble, cleaning the glass -- all aspects of the game will require a great deal of focus and attention.

While the Nets and Wizards are two different teams that play different styles of basketball and have different goals for this season, they do have one glaring similarity: Their respective top players and the numbers they put up.

Mikal Bridges and Kyle Kuzma are averaging nearly identical box score numbers this season.

Both forwards are having extremely successful seasons doing a little bit of everything. They're knocking down shots from all three levels of the floor, grabbing rebounds and pushing in transition, and setting up their teammates for easy looks. This will be a fun matchup to keep an eye on.

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Preview: Wizards head to Brooklyn for Friday contest with Nets

The energy was high in Capital One Arena and the Washington Wizards gave it their all for 48 minutes, but ultimately, Joel Embiid was too much to overcome. Final score: Sixers 131, Wizards 126.

Washington started this game the right way. The ball was moving. Everyone was getting involved. And there was a special connectivity between the players on the floor.

Led by Deni Avdija, assists were piling up for the Wizards as the shots started to fall. Avdija didn't score the ball a ton, but he was operating as the lead playmaker, and the offense flowed through his hands. By halftime, he racked up eight assists without turning the ball over once.

"He was very good," said Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. on Avdija's first half. "Composed. He didn't force it. I think he just ran with what the defense gave him and found the openings. Once he gets downhill and gets in the paint, he's done a much better job of using his fakes, keeping his feet, his pivots, and finding those windows... He's slowing himself down. I think he's done a better job of reading what the defense shows and then making the right play."

With the Wizards dealing with injuries to Landry Shamet, Delon Wright, Ryan Rollins and Johnny Davis, two-way guard Jared Butler got some run and made the most of his minutes. In the first half, Butler hit a rolling Mike Muscala with a fancy no-look pass and later snake-dribbled his way through the paint before finding Muscala for another easy two. Butler didn't record a made field goal, but he did dish out four assists in 14 minutes.

By the game's end, Washington had notched a season-high 39 assists.

Despite being the third-youngest player in the NBA, rookie wing Bilal Coulibaly continues to impress fans, his teammates, the coaching staff, and anyone else who watches Wizards basketball games. Everyone knew Coulibaly had length and athleticism coming into the league, but he took the basketball world by surprise with his feel for the game, basketball IQ, and unflappable approach.

He flashed all of those traits on Wednesday night, but he beautifully returned to the basics as well.

With roughly nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Coulibaly was bringing the ball up the court and realized he had a mismatch with Sixers big man Paul Reed picking him up just shy of halfcourt -- and importantly -- no help defense behind him. Coulibaly instantly turned on the jets, getting the step on Reed and then throwing down a vicious one-handed poster dunk. It had Capital One Arena rocking.

"Yeah that was a good one," said Coulibaly with a smile when asked about the dunk after the game. "I saw [Reed] -- his feet were not in [position] to play good defense, so I was like, 'Yeah, I gotta drive it.' And I was wide open, so I said, 'Yeah, I'll dunk it.'"

Jordan Poole led the Wizards in scoring on Wednesday with 23 points on an extremely efficient 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting from deep, but he wasn't the only one to have a nice scoring night. Six different Wizards scored 14 or more points. In addition to Poole's 23 points, Tyus Jones had 20 on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. Daniel Gafford tallied 18 points in 23 minutes. Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert each added 16. And the aforementioned Coulibaly dropped 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field.

The Wizards finished the game with business-like .565/.400/.100 shooting splits.

This was a back-and-forth contest for nearly the entirety of the game, with both teams taking their turns holding the lead. But ultimately, Joel Embiid was the biggest difference maker. He provided a steady dose of offense every minute he was on the floor, pouring in a game-high 50 points on 19-of-29 shooting from the field to go along with 13 boards and seven assists.

The Wizards are back in action Friday evening when they take on the Nets in Brooklyn.

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Recap: Wizards fall 131-126 to Sixers in hard-fought contest

After a four-day break, the Washington Wizards (3-16) are back in action as they host the Philadelphia 76ers (12-7) in D.C. Here's everything you need to know.

WHERE: Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ETTV: Monumental Sports NetworkRADIO: Team 980 & The Wizards App

WIZARDS:Delon Wright (left knee sprain -- out)Ryan Rollins (right knee strain -- out)Johnny Davis (left calf strain -- questionable)Jordan Poole (left ankle sprain -- questionable)Landry Shamet (right rib sprain -- questionable)

SIXERS:De'Anthony Melton (N/A illness -- probable)

Four days of rest may not seem like a lot in normal life, but with the rigors of the traditional NBA schedule, four days off is an eternity. Thanks to the new addition of the In-Season Tournament, the Wizards and Sixers are in the same boat, entering Wednesday's contest with a full four days of rest.

Any time there's extended rest involved, it begs the question: Will the rest be beneficial or will it have thrown the teams out of rhythm, making them look rusty?

Fans should be able to tell pretty quickly for both teams. The answer is usually found within the first five minutes of the game. This contest could come down to whichever team deals with the rest vs rust predicament the best.

THE DYNAMIC DUO OF TYRESE MAXEY AND JOEL EMBIID

Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid are the straws that stir the Sixers' drink. Averaging 27 points and seven assists per game, Maxey is a headlining candidate to win Most Improved Player of the Year. And Embiid? All he's doing is looking better than ever after being awarded the league MVP last season.

What makes this duo so hard to stop is how well they complement each other. Maxey is an elite floor spacer, creator off the dribble, and downhill threat, while Embiid is one of the most skilled bigs of the century. Per Cleaning the Glass, when Maxey and Embiid share the floor together, the Sixers score over 124 points per 100 possessions. That's an absurd scoring rate, putting them in the 95th percentile in the league. For the Wizards, taking advantage of any stretch where one of them is on the bench will be critical.

Despite different styles of play, the Wizards and Sixers cash in on almost the exact same amount of threes per game. The Wizards knock down 12.1 per contest, while the Sixers knock down 12.2. After doing some quick math, you'll find that means the Wizards average 36.3 points off threes per game while the Sixers average 36.6. When the numbers are that close, it leaves room for a massive advantage if one team has an outlier of a game.

Keep an eye on the 3-point shooting on Wednesday night. That's likely to be one of the primary contributing aspects to the result of the game.

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Preview: Wizards host Sixers in Nation's Capital

For the second time in three days, the Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic duked it out at the Amway Center. Despite a competitive, back-and-forth game for four quarters -- one that never saw a lead reach double digits for either ball club -- the Magic executed better down the stretch, earning the win. Final score: Magic 130, Wizards 125.

BIG NIGHTS FOR KYLE KUZMA AND DANIEL GAFFORD

Kyle Kuzma was the primary weapon for the Wizards' offense once again. He's been consistently effective all season long, and Friday night was no different. After six straight games of facilitating -- averaging 8.2 assists per contest -- Kuzma put his scoring hat on. He set the tone right off the jump, pouring in 12 points in the first quarter and helping jumpstart the offensive flow.

His frontcourt partner Daniel Gafford was right there with him. Gafford was all over the glass, rolling hard to the rim, playing through contact, and finishing at the cup. While Kuzma led the way with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field, Gafford's 18-point, 11-rebound double-double was equally as meaningful. Gafford also dished out three assists and blocked three shots.

Kuzma and Gafford set the pace for the starters, but the Wizards bench kept things going when those guys needed a break.

Bilal Coulibaly was extremely active in his 32 minutes of play, scoring 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds and three steals. Danilo Gallinari was solid, knocking down three of his four shots. And the wing duo of Landry Shamet and Corey Kispert was phenomenal. Those two guys combined for 28 points and spaced the floor beautifully, shooting 7-of-9 from deep.

Every time the Magic made a little run, it felt like Shamet or Kispert stepped up and hit a big three. They were pivotal in keeping this game competitive for all 48 minutes.

While the Wizards had some solid individual performances and did some stellar things on offense, Orlando's frontcourt ended up being the biggest difference maker. After a tough game on Wednesday night, Paolo Banchero came out with a vengeance, scoring 15 first-half points. He finished the game with 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field to go along with 13 boards and seven assists.

Banchero's star frontcourt partner Franz Wagner had another massive outing alongside him, scoring a game-high 31 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and 12-of-14 from the charity stripe to go along with eight assists and seven boards of his own. For those who don't want to do the math, Banchero and Wagner combined for 59 points, 20 rebounds, and 15 assists -- elite production from the three main box score categories.

"They got positional size," said Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. after the game when asked about the matchup problems Banchero and Wagner pose. "Both able to play pick and roll, score on three levels, stretch you a little bit from three, play off the bounce, can post you... I think both guys play at their own pace so it's tough to speed them up. Very good in the pocket, slow-playing drives, and do a great job of finishing through contact. So it's quite the duo, and because of that size, it's a tough matchup."

As if those two guys weren't enough, the Magic got a big boost from Franz's brother, Moritz Wagner, who dropped 18 points in 23 minutes off the bench.

The Wizards now have a four-day break before taking the court on December 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Recap: Wizards lose 130-125 in second consecutive battle with Magic

After losing a hard-fought battle in Orlando on Wednesday night, the Washington Wizards (3-15) are back at the Amway Center looking for redemption against the Magic (13-5) on Friday night. Here's everything you need to know.

WHERE: Amway Center (Orlando, FL)WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ETTV: Monumental Sports NetworkRADIO: Team 980 & The Wizards App

WIZARDS:Delon Wright (left knee sprain -- out)Ryan Rollins (right knee strain -- out)

MAGIC:Wendell Carter Jr. (left hand; fractured third metacarpal -- out)Markelle Fultz (left knee tendinitis -- out)Jonathan Isaac (right ankle sprain -- questionable) Jett Howard (left ankle sprain -- questionable)Paolo Banchero (right ankle sprain -- probable)

On Wednesday night, the Wizards' offense looked impressive against one of the best defensive teams in the league. Unfortunately, the defense wasn't on the same level as they allowed 139 points en route to the loss. For the result to change, the defense will have to change.

One area the Washington defense was successful in was limiting Orlando's best player, Paolo Banchero. He was held to six points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field. But all of that attention led to some wide-open opportunities for the rest of the team. Franz Wagner went off, scoring 31 points in three quarters. Jalen Suggs poured in 22. And Cole Anthony dropped 25 off the bench.

As a team, the Magic shot 61% from the field and 63% from deep. The defensive activity will surely be a focal point for Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. on Friday night.

Wizards forward Deni Avdija is reaching new offensive levels in his fourth NBA season. His jumper is smooth. He's finishing through contact. And he's as confident as ever.

That all manifested itself in one of his best offensive performances of the season on Wednesday night. From the jump, it was clear Avdija had one goal in mind: Get to the rim. He was consistently taking his defender off the dribble, seeking out contact, and relentlessly attacking the cup. The perimeter defenders for Orlando were having trouble staying in front of Avdija, and then the rim protection wasn't there behind them. Avdija scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field in just 28 minutes.

It likely won't be as easy for Avdija to finish at the rim in back-to-back games against the same opponent. The help defense will be focused on making it tough on him at the hoop. But if Avdija can continue getting two feet in the paint, it should open up the floor for everyone else.

Speaking of opening up the floor for everyone else, let's talk about Jordan Poole and how successful he was on Wednesday night. He finished with a relatively quiet and balanced 19 points, but if you watched the game, you likely noticed how impactful his presence was on offense.

When the ball wasn't in Poole's hands, he was cutting and then relocating along the perimeter, setting himself up for wide-open three-point looks. He shot 4-of-7 on those attempts, but the impact goes beyond possessions that end with him shooting a three. When a guy can space the floor as well as Poole and keeps moving off the ball, it shifts the geometry of the court. His spacing was causing issues for the Magic all night long. Look for him to create those advantages again.

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Preview: Wizards face Magic in Orlando for second time in three days

The Washington Wizards entered Wednesday night's game with a tough task: Stopping the hottest team in the NBA. Prior to the start, the Orlando Magic held the longest active winning streak in the association (seven games) and were racing up the league leaderboard. Despite a valiant effort from the Wizards, the Magic were able to make the big shots when they mattered most in the last 18 minutes of the game. Final score: Magic 139, Wizards 120.

This game was competitive right from the jump. Kyle Kuzma picked up where he left off on Monday night, scoring 10 first-quarter points and helping get the Wizards' offense out to a good start. Then, in the second quarter, it was Deni Avdija's turn.

Avdija was running in transition, cutting off the ball in the halfcourt, taking his defender off the dribble, scoring around the rim, and knocking down jumpers. After not attempting a field goal in the first quarter, Avdija poured in 15 points in the second on 6-of-7 shooting from the field to go along with three assists and zero turnovers. It was one of the best offensive stretches of basketball he's played this season.

Unfortunately, after a made bucket early in the fourth quarter, Avdija left the game with an apparent arm injury. He would not return.

In the third quarter, Franz Wagner took over the game. He had 14 points total in the first two quarters but exploded for 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field in the third, giving him a total of 31 heading into the final frame. The Magic ran with that momentum, extending the lead to 21 points on a Cole Anthony alley-oop dunk midway through the fourth quarter that acted as the nail in the coffin. Anthony finished the game with 25 points and five assists.

While Anthony and Wagner had incredible offensive nights, the Wizards did a nice job of containing the Magic's top scorer, Paolo Banchero. They held him to six points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field. That's something the team can be proud of as they look back at the highlights and lowlights of this game and prepare for Friday.

For the Wizards, Kuzma led the way with 23 points and six assists. Avdija was right behind him with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. And Jordan Poole was efficient all night, scoring 19 points and knocking down four of his seven threes.

These two teams will meet once again in Orlando on Friday night as the Wizards look for redemption.

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Recap: Wizards fall 139-120 in first matchup with Magic

The Washington Wizards (3-14) are coming off a solid win in Detroit and are now headed to Orlando for a matchup with the Magic (12-5). Can they close the month of November on a high note? Here's everything you need to know.

MAGIC:Wendell Carter Jr. (left hand; fractured third metacarpal -- out)Markelle Fultz (left knee tendinitis -- out)Jonathan Isaac (left ankle soreness -- questionable)

The Magic are currently the hottest team in the NBA. They hold the longest winning streak (seven games) and they're streaking up the Eastern Conference standings. To say they're one of the breakout teams of the 2023-24 season would be an understatement.

What's so unique about Orlando is how they've gone about winning games. They're an old-school style of team. They're 28th in the league in 3-point attempts at a mere 30.1 per game. Instead of shooting a high volume of threes, this team makes their bones on defense. They have the second-best defensive rating in the association (107) and allow the fifth-fewest points per game (107.4). Naturally, they're also top 10 in allowing second-chance points, fastbreak points, and points in the paint.

In order for the Wizards to win this game, they'll have to find ways to create offense. Look to Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole to lead the way on that end of the floor.

Another thing the Magic do well is turn their stout defense into offense. They're first in the league by a wide margin in points off turnovers at 21.1 per game. The next closest team is under 20 with the Chicago Bulls sitting at 19.8.

Thankfully, the Wizards have been relatively good at taking care of the ball this season. They're in the top half of the league in that category, largely because of their floor general Tyus Jones. He's a coach on the court, he controls the offense, and he rarely turns the ball over. That'll be extra important on Wednesday night.

CONTAINING FRANZ WAGNER AND PAOLO BANCHERO

It's no secret who the top players on the Orlando Magic are: Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero are two of the best young forwards in the game, and they're learning how to play together, making them even scarier.

The two 6-foot-10 forwards cause matchup issues using their size and physicality to their advantage while playing with the downhill attacking nature of scoring guards. Together, they're averaging nearly 40 points per game and shooting over 45% from the field.

Kuzma and Deni Avdija will have their hands full, and Daniel Gafford's rim protection will be as crucial as ever.