Game Recap

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Chase Hughes

The Washington Wizards lost to the New York Knicks 117-94 on Wednesday night in the preseason. Here are three things that stood out from the game...

The Wizards played a game worthy of the preseason on Wednesday in that they looked like a team knocking off the rust after a long summer. They had 30 turnovers, including 20 by the 9:00 mark of the third quarter. The Wizards are trying to make changes to their offensive play style and the Knicks have one of the best defenses in the league. Not surprisingly, it was tough sledding on that end of the floor.

All of it made what rookie Kyshawn George did even more impressive. The 24th overall pick (which was traded to the Wizards from the Knicks) went off for 14 points in 21 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from three. He also added four rebounds, three blocks and a steal. George was so good he had Hall of Famer Walt Frazier proclaiming "this kid has been impressive" on the MSG broadcast.

George picked his spots masterfully to put together an efficient shooting performance. His shot selection continues to impress and if that carries over into the regular season, it's going to be a big help for him throughout his career. George even showed off his handle in this one by taking the ball coast-to-coast, slowing down then speeding up to accelerate past Josh Hart for a transition layup. It was the type of patient, crafty move that you don't often see from rookies.

One thing we know about Corey Kispert is he adds noticeable layers to his game every offseason. Through two preseason games he has shown some new wrinkles that could make him well-suited for how the Wizards want to play this year. He's done an excellent job driving into the paint off the catch and kicking it to teammates for open threes. Washington hopes to shift away from the traditional primary point guard and have multiple initiators on the floor. Kispert being able to drive-and-kick from the wing is exactly how they envision it working.

He wasn't just making plays for his teammate in this one, either. Kispert got hot early with seven points off the bench in the first quarter en route to 14 points (5-9 FG, 2-5 3PT) for the night. One of his first quarter buckets came on a smooth layup where he had to adjust mid-air to navigate through traffic. Kispert took a big step forward last season in attacking the rim and that play seemed to reflect the confidence he built along the way. Kispert can do so much more than shoot threes now.

These preseason games are giving us the very early returns on rookie second overall pick Alex Sarr. Perhaps more interesting than the results are how he is being utilized and how opposing teams are guarding him. So far he has done a little bit of everything on offense; he has initiated plays off the dribble, shot plenty of threes, cut to the rim from the wing and both popped and rolled of screens. One common theme is he's getting a ton of open looks from long range. That's partly his doing and also because the Raptors and Knicks have left him open to shoot, opting to overload on ball-handlers in pick-and-roll situations.

Sarr made the Knicks pay for double-teaming Jordan Poole by knocking down a three from the wing on a pick-and-pop. He had a well-rounded stat-line of 12 points (5-14 FG, 2-6 3PT), nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Sarr looks comfortable and confident on both ends of the floor, though like any rookie he will need to adjust to NBA rules and officiating. He got called for a moving screen in the opener and in this one got tagged for defensive three seconds.

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Recap: Kyshawn George impresses in Wizards' loss to Knicks

The Washington Wizards lost to the Toronto Raptors 125-98 on Sunday night in Montreal. Here are three things that stood out from the game...

The Wizards' future was on display on Sunday night, as their three rookie first round picks all suited up for their first NBA preseason game. The results may not be official, but the experience certainly counts for something as they look ahead to their regular season debuts.

All three were able to score some points and have their moments. No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr was in the starting lineup alongside Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas. Sarr's night was defined by rangy defense, emphatic dunks and outside shooting. He got hot in the second half en route to 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting overall and 3-for-4 from three. Sarr also had four assists, three rebounds and a block; about as good a first showing as he could hope for.

It was a special night for Kyshawn George, who had over 30 family members in attendance. He had eight points and three rebounds, as he got going in the third quarter with a pair of threes. Bub Carrington, meanwhile, put in seven points amid a tough shooting night while playing pesky defense on the perimeter.

The Wizards signed Valanciunas for many reasons, among them to add size and rebounding at the center spot. But, as Poole noted on media day, he also gives them a big, physical screen-setter and that is great news for the team's ball-handlers. You could tell they were excited to have them by how they were hunting his screens early on. They know he can get them open.

Valanciunas only played 16 minutes, yet he still managed six rebounds. Maybe if he played more, if it wasn't the preseason, the result would have been different. The Wizards struggled with defensive rebounds, allowing the Raptors to score 28 second chance points on 14 offensive boards. Valanciunas will be tasked with preventing that type of game in the regular season.

Just like this time last year, Poole looked sharp and ready for the regular season to begin. He scored 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field and 2-for-5 from three. In addition to the points, he had six assists and zero turnovers.&nbsp;Poole essentially picked up right where he left off after his strong close to last season. The Wizards, of course, enjoyed a big turnaround last year by Poole, who was a different player once he started playing more on-the-ball in the second half.

It's worth noting, however, the Wizards are trying to play a bit differently this year. Instead of having a primary ball-handler, as Poole was down the stretch of last season, they want multiple initiators. Poole, though, seemed to adapt to that style well, sometimes attacking off the dribble and other times providing space on the wing for others to start the offense.

On the topic of Wizards guards, veteran offseason addition Malcolm Brogdon was the lone injury absence in this game. He hurt his hand during practice and was sent back to D.C. for further evaluation, per the Monumental Sports Network broadcast.

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Recap: Sarr shows out in Wizards preseason debut

The Washington Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks 91-79 on Saturday afternoon in their fifth and final game of the 2024 Las Vegas Summer League. Here are three things that stood out about the game...

The Summer League is a great time to experiment and the Wizards embraced that spirit wholeheartedly in their Las Vegas finale on Saturday afternoon. They attempted their first 11 shots and 18 of their 21 total shot attempts in the first quarter from three. For the game they took 50 of their 77 shots from long range.

Washington made 18 of them, which was a big reason why they beat the Bucks in their Las Vegas Summer League finale. The Wizards leave the desert having gone 3-2 in their five games.

For context on the 50 attempts, the Wizards have only taken 50 or more threes twice during a regular season game in franchise history. The franchise record is 53 attempts, set last December, but that was in 48 minutes. The Summer League plays 40-minute games, meaning Washington was on pace for 60 if it was a full 48 minutes. That's a lot of threes.

The star of that 3-point barrage was Taylor Funk, a 6-foot-8 forward who played for the Capital City Go-Go last year. Before that he was at Utah State for the 2022-23 season following five years at St. Joseph's. Now he's a 26-year-old Wizards prospect hoping to achieve his dream of playing in the NBA.

He may have helped that cause quite a bit with his performance against the Bucks. Funk lit it up from the perimeter with eight threes en route to 29 points. He also had five assists, four rebounds and a block. Funk played in all five Summer League games and shot 16-for-35 (45.7%) from three. Funk shot 42.7% from three for his college career and a solid 38.3% from deep last year in the G League, so that tracks. He can shoot it and everyone saw that in this game.

Head coach Cody Toppert and the Wizards staggered their roster throughout the Summer League to not only get a lot of players into the mix, but allow them to play plenty of minutes when they saw the floor. That often meant short rotations like on Saturday when they only played eight players. Not among them was second overall pick Alex Sarr, who appeared in the team's first four games but sat out the finale, just as Bilal Coulibaly did one year ago in his first Vegas showing.

Sarr finished the Summer League with averages of 5.5 points (19.1 FG%, 11.8 3PT%), 7.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. Fellow first round picks Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George each played all five games. Carrington had 13 points (5-14 FG, 1-7 3PT), 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals against Milwaukee, once again showing special ability to rebound as a guard. He averaged 15.8 points (32.9 FG%, 35.9 3PT%), 7.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in Summer League. Kyshawn George had nine points (3-4 FG, 3-3 3PT) and five boards vs. the Bucks and ended Summer League averaging 9.4 points (51.7 FG%, 47.6 3PT%) and 4.0 rebounds.

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Game Recap: Wizards defeat Bucks, 91-79, in final game of NBA Summer League

wasatemperly

The Washington Wizards lost to the Boston Celtics 132-122 on Sunday afternoon in their season finale. Here are three things that stood out about the game...

The Wizards' 2023-24 season is officially over as they lost to the Celtics on the road in their regular season finale on Sunday afternoon.

Washington will be tied for the best odds to receive the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft lottery at 14%. The lottery is set for May 12 in Chicago, Ill.

Washington played this game with an extensive injury list that included rookie big man Tristan Vukcevic (right ankle sprain), who ended his season with five consecutive games of double-figure scoring. Jordan Poole (non-COVID illness) also missed his second straight game to end the year.

Poole still appeared in 78 games this season after playing in all 82 last year. The only Wizards player to log more games than him this season was Corey Kispert who got to No. 80 on Sunday.

Without Poole and usual starting point guard Tyus Jones, Jared Butler filled in admirably with 22 points, seven assists, a steal and a block. Patrick Baldwin Jr. also stepped up with 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals in one of the best games of his young career.

In addition to Butler and Baldwin Jr., Eugene Omoruyi was on an absolute tear in the final game of the season. He had seven points in the first quarter, 15 by halftime and ended the day with 26 point for a new career-high. Omoruyi shot 11-for-17 from the field, 4-for-6 from three and also had five assists. He did it all in 23 minutes of work.

What a way to end the season on a high note. Omoruyi joined the organization last July on a two-way contract and performed so well the Wizards converted him to an NBA deal in March. Omoruyi ended up playing in 43 games for the Wizards and saved his very best for the last game of the season.

Justin Champagnie also went out on a positive with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes. His seven rebounds were a reminder he is uniquely good at cleaning the glass. Champagnie, a 6-foot-6 wing, averaged 11.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Pittsburgh before making the NBA leap.

Champagnie also contributed a series of highlight reel passes in this one. He threaded the needle with a kick-ahead bounce pass to Butler for an open layup in transition. Very soon after that, he found Baldwin Jr. for an easy dunk on the fastbreak with a two-handed bounce pass he had to reach around a Celtics defender to make. It was perfectly placed and timed. Champagnie can impact the game in various ways and he showed that on Sunday.

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Recap: Wizards fall in season finale to Celtics

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Wizards lost to the Chicago Bulls 129-127 on Friday night at Capital One Arena. Here are three things that stood out about the game...

The Wizards closed out their 2023-24 home schedule with a narrow loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, leaving one more game on their schedule before the year is officially over.

Washington had a good night offensively, as they shot 52.3% from the field and made 18 threes. The Bulls, though, outrebounded them 56-to-39 and had a large advantage in bench points; 51-to-28.

The Wizards had six players reach double-figures in this one. Corey Kispert had 23 points on a hot shooting night of 8-for-15 from the field and 6-for-11 from the perimeter. He also had seven rebounds and six assists in one of his more complete games of the season.

Deni Avdija also came through with a robust stat-line of 23 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. It was Avdija's sixth double-double in his last 10 games.

The Wizards put up a 40-point first quarter for the second straight game and this time it was rookie Tristan Vukcevic who helped lead the way. He missed their last game against the Timberwolves on Tuesday due to left knee soreness, but returned with a bang to drop 11 points in the opening frame. That helped him very quickly extend his streak of double-figure scoring games to five, dating back to April 2 when the Wizards beat the Bucks.

Vukcevic finished the game with a new career-high of 19 points (5-11 FG), a steal and a block. He sank two threes and knocked down 7-of-9 from the free throw line. That has been a sneaky trend for him. Vukcevic has shown a knack for getting to the free throw line in his brief NBA tenure so far, as he doesn't seem to shy away from contact when he goes up for shots around the rim.

Johnny Davis had his best scoring game in months on Tuesday in Minnesota, then topped it one game later in this one. Davis had a season-high 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including 4-for-5 from long range. The four threes are a new career-high for him in a single game, a big positive as Davis has been working diligently to improve his outside shooting.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. also carried over a strong performance on Tuesday into this one. The 6-foot-9 forward had a career-high 19 points, shooting 7-for-12 overall and 3-for-7 from deep. Baldwin Jr. has done a great job shaking off a recent shooting slump with a pair of solid games in a row.

Up next:&nbsp;The Wizards ship up to Boston for their final game of the 2023-24 regular season in a 1 p.m. matinee.

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Recap: Wizards fall in final home game to Chicago Bulls

The Washington Wizards lost to the Toronto Raptors 130-122 on Sunday night. Here are three things that stood out about the game...

The Wizards lost this game and trailed the Raptors for 47 of 48 minutes, yet they may be able to find a positive in how they nearly came back from a substantial deficit. The Raptors jumped out to a 29-point lead in the first quarter, at 42-13, but Washington then rallied to cut it all the way down to five with 25 seconds to go in the fourth quarter.

The Raptors were able to regain control and keep the Wizards at bay. But it was the type of effort that could have led to a different story if Washington didn't dig such a deep hole early on.

Jordan Poole was a major catalyst for keeping the Wizards in the game. He had 29 points and 12 assists, including eight dimes in the first half to key a 25-2 run. Poole shot 10-for-23 from the field and 4-for-10 from the perimeter. It was Poole's third straight game scoring 20-plus points and the sixth time in nine games he's recorded at least eight assists.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. was also a standout in this one. He had one of the best games of his career with a season-high 16 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. It was his first double-double.

At this point we're used to seeing Deni Avdija score a lot of points and put up big numbers in the box score, but Sunday's game was some of his best work. After scoring a modest four points in the first quarter, he popped off for 13 points in the second to reach halftime with 17.

Avdija finished the game with 32 points (11-19 FG, 2-6 3PT) with 10 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals. The only other player in franchise history to have at least those numbers in a game is the Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes, who did it twice in 1975. Joel Embiid is the only other player to do it this NBA season. Avdija fills up the box score like few others can.

As dynamic as Poole and Avdija were, nobody had the hot hand quite like Corey Kispert. The third-year wing was on fire, shooting 7-for-13 overall and 5-for-7 from long range en route to 21 points. Just like Avdija, he had a big second quarter with 10 points as the Wizards were trying to climb back.

Kispert has made a career-high 173 threes on the season and has three more games to go. He is on track to set new career-highs in nearly every statistical category. That includes games played, as he tied a personal best with 78 games on Sunday and has a chance to pass that very soon.

Up next:&nbsp;The Wizards move on to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves. Tipoff is 8 p.m. on Tuesday night.

recap-wizards-fall-in-toronto

Recap: Wizards fall in Toronto

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Wizards lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 125-120 on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. Here are three things that stood out about the game...

One&nbsp;night after their big upset win over the Bucks, the Wizards fell to the Lakers at home in a close game that once again featured an undermanned rotation due to injuries.

The Wizards got out to a scorching start to build a 19-8 lead, but the Lakers led by 10 to end the first quarter and by 17 midway through the third. Washington, though, rallied to make it a two-point game in the fourth quarter before the Lakers pulled away.

The Wizards were already missing Tyus Jones, Bilal Coulibaly, Richaun Holmes and Landry Shamet, plus Marvin Bagley III who got injured against Milwaukee. Deni Avdija also exited Wednesday's loss with a migraine.

Jordan Poole led the Wizards in scoring with 29 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the field. He shot 5-for-9 from three.

The Wizards now have five games left in the regular season and only two more at home. This was their final back-to-back of the year.

Though they remain banged up overall, the Wizards did get Kyle Kuzma back in the fold on Wednesday after a two-game absence due to a left heel contusion. That continued a trend for him this year. Five different times this season he has missed time due to an injury, but he has yet to miss more than two in a row.

Not only has Kuzma shown a tendency to recover quickly, he often plays well once he returns. Kuzma had 17 points, including 13 in the first half. He shot 7-for-16 from the field and 2-for-5 from three, adding 12 rebounds and three assists.

With Bagley III out, that meant another opportunity for rookie Tristan Vukcevic, this case his first NBA start. Fresh off his 14 points and seven rebounds against the Bucks, Vukcevic was relied on heavily once again in a matchup against one of the NBA's best big men in Anthony Davis.

Vukcevic fared well despite battling some early foul trouble. He ended up with a new career-high of 15 points (5-9 FG) with three rebounds and a block in 20 minutes. He played 31 minutes the night before, but with three fouls in his first eight minutes on the court, interim head coach Brian Keefe had to play it safe with both Bagley III and Holmes missing. Anthony Gill stepped in to take some center minutes, as did Eugene Omoruyi.

Up next:&nbsp;The Wizards stick around for one more game to close out their homestand as they host the Blazers on Friday night with 2 Chainz set to perform postgame.

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Recap: Wizards fall to Lakers, 125-120

WASHINGTON – The Washington Wizards beat the Milwaukee Bucks 117-113 on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena. Here are three things that stood out from the game...

The Wizards only had nine players available on Tuesday night and lost another along the way, but they still had enough to earn an upset victory over Giannis&nbsp;Antetokounmpo&nbsp;and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Washington has secured several wins over playoff-bound teams this season like the Kings, Heat and Pacers. The Bucks, though, are the best team they have beaten so far based on record. Milwaukee entered the day with the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and the fifth-best record in the league overall.

The Bucks didn't have Damian Lillard, but the Wizards were missing the majority of their rotation including Kyle Kuzma and Richaun Holmes. Tyus Jones, Bilal Coulibaly and Landry Shamet remain out as well and Marvin Bagley III exited in the first half with a right knee sprain. The Wizards' depth was also affected by the Capital City Go-Go playing a home playoff game at the same time in Ward 8.

Among those who did play, Corey Kispert and Deni Avdija were pivotal in the win. Kispert had 27 points, including 15 in the first half, on 10-for-18 shooting overall and 4-for-11 from three. Avdija poured in 23 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. His full-court assist to Anthony Gill with 8.3 seconds left polished off the win.&nbsp;

"Nobody believed that we could win this game tonight but we did... I'm happy for the group because we needed it," Avdija said. "It's definitely a confidence booster and it makes us believe we can do good stuff even though we were the underdog."

This was one of Jordan Poole's best games at the point guard position. He had a career-high 13 assists along with 16 points and afterwards drew high praise from interim head coach Brian Keefe.

"I told him this right after the game, he really just managed the game. He set the table, 13 assists. He kind of controlled the flow. This is kind of what we envisioned when we put the ball in his hands more. For his growth and his development, I liked the floor game he played tonight. Scored when he had to, but found his teammates," Keefe said.

Poole also delivered a crucial strip of Antetokounmpo with 45 seconds left to help seal the win. Given the timing, it might have been his best defensive play of the season so far.&nbsp;

Poole's backup, Jared Butler, was also a key contributor in the win. He dropped 17 points off the bench, shooting 7-for-10 from the field.

Tuesday was just the sixth career game for Tristan Vukcevic and it came against the vaunted Bucks frontcourt of Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, but it was the rookie's best performance so far. After scoring nine total points in his first five games, he had nine points by halftime against Milwaukee.&nbsp;

Vukcevic finished the game with 14 points and seven rebounds. He had some of his best moments on aggressive plays around the rim even when&nbsp;it meant colliding with Antetokounmpo mid-air. Vukcevic also sank a wide open three to put the Wizards up 10 in the third quarter.

Vukcevic ended up playing 31 minutes in the game, by far a career-high. That was due to necessity after Bagley III went down early on.

Up next:&nbsp;The Wizards have a quick turnaround as they host the L.A. Lakers on Wednesday night in the second leg of a back-to-back.