Tag: Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards have hit rock bottom and somehow things are only getting worse

The Wizards have somehow become worse than the Pistons

Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes

Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve had a great week and have a better weekend ahead of you.

Mine? Oh, it going great until Thursday night. I watched my Wizards fumble away a win against LeBron James and the Lakers.

This has got to be the most painful season I’ve ever endured as a fan of this team. And y’all know me, man — I’ve been through some stuff with this team. That Clippers comeback. The John Wall thing. Spencer Dinwiddie. Just…ugh.

Somehow, though, this season sits on a pedestal of suckitude alone. The Wizards are a laughingstock. Only having nine wins so far this season already felt like rock bottom. It certainly is. But, as it turns out, things are only getting worse.

Washington didn’t win a single game in February — the team went 0-12. You have to call the team the Ashington Izards now. The Ws are gone. I would say throw some Ls in front of that but I also feel like actual Lizards might be insulted.

I don’t know when the next Wizards win might come. There’s no “get right” game on the schedule. The Wizards are the “get right” team everyone looks forward to. The team can’t play itself. If it did, it’d obviously lose. Yes, it’s that bad.

We’re still quite a bit away from the Wizards potentially breaking the Piston’s streak, but I’ll tell you what: It does feel possible.

It’s hard to pinpoint where the team’s next win will come from.

Washington’s next five games are: @ L.A. Clippers, @ Utah Jazz, vs. Orlando Magic, vs. Charlotte Hornets @ Miami Heat.

Of those five, maybe the Hornets’ game can be a win? The Jazz also aren’t playing the greatest, though that’s a road matchup. The Wizards might be able to steal a game or two from one of these teams during this stretch.

But nothing here is clear. None of these games are guaranteed. And, if Washington doesn’t get one here, we could be looking at another all-time losing streak like the one we saw from Detroit earlier this year.

The basketball gods, man. They’re so cruel.

The 40-20 rule

Jan 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) works the ball around Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) in the second quarter at TD Garden.
Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Zeglinski is using an old Phil Jackson rule to determine which team might win the championship this season.

The rule is this: Generally, the NBA champion is going to be a team that wins 40 games before it loses 20 games. He explains more here:

“The 11-time champion coach with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers once said that for a team to be a true “elite” championship contender, it must win 40 games before losing 20. Now, that might seem like a random barometer that Jackson thought up out of thin air. But when you look at NBA history, it’s actually a fantastic indicator of who has a realistic chance of winning the title.

That’s because 27 of the last 30 NBA champions won 40 games before losing 20. Dearest readers, that is 90 percent of all title winners in recent memory.”

If we’re going by 40-20 rule logic, we’ve got four legitimate contenders: The Celtics, the Timberwolves, the Nuggets and the Thunder.

We’ll revisit this once we get to the Finals.

Shootaround

— Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky with the latest mock draft. Of course, the Wizards are picking at No. 1.

— Shaq trying to bait Charles Barkley into giving an OnlyFans shoutout on the air is incredible content. Here’s Charles Curtis with more.

— Prince Grimes has the best bets for division winners in the NBA. That Southwest division is going crazy right now.

— Here’s the latest Morning Win on Caitlin Clark and the false idea of a pay cut waiting for her in the WNBA.

That’s a wrap, folks! We’ll be back on Monday. Until next time! Peace. We out.

-Sykes ✌️

Lakers player grades: L.A. barely squeaks by the struggling Wizards

Yet again, the Lakers looked lackadaisical against an inferior team when they faced the Wizards, but they did escape with a win.

After coming back from a big deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Washington Wizards on Thursday. Given that the Wizards were on a 12-game losing streak, one may have thought the Lakers would’ve gotten themselves an easy win.

Instead, they had a relapse of the ailment that has afflicted them throughout the season — the inability or unwillingness to play hard and be focused when facing an inferior team.

The Wizards came out surprisingly competitive in the early minutes of this game. They led 27-19 late in the first quarter, and they were still up 58-52 with just over four minutes left in the first half. While the Lakers did rally a bit to take a 70-69 lead at halftime, their focus and interest level seemed spotty, especially since they were outscored by nine in fast-break points and allowed Jordan Poole to score 20 points off the bench.

The Lakers were never quite able to take true control of the contest, despite taking a two-possession lead multiple times. Washington actually went ahead 123-120 with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, and it took the Lakers an extra five minutes in order to escape with a 134-131 overtime win.

While they were outscored from the 3-point line, as usual — this time, the discrepancy was 27 points in that category — they did attempt and make twice as many free throws as the Wizards. But Los Angeles cannot keep putting forth such lackadaisical efforts against teams with worse records than it if it is to make the playoffs.

Still, a win is a win, and the team now has a 33-28 record and is still in ninth place in the Western Conference, although it is just half a game ahead of the 10th-place Golden State Warriors.

Lakers vs. Wizards: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Thursday

Here’s all you need to know ahead of Thursday’s Lakers versus Wizards game.

The Los Angeles Lakers host the Washington Wizards on Thursday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Lakers are early in a brutal stretch of their remaining schedule, but this game should be a respite. The Wizards are tied for the worst record in the NBA (9-49). They’re the coldest team in the league right now. They’re on a 12-game losing streak and have dropped 24 of their last 27. They’re last in defensive rating, and they have defeated just one team all season that currently has a winning record.

The Lakers are coming off a thrilling and impressive come-from-behind 116-112 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. LeBron James scored 19 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, allowing his team to overcome a 21-point deficit. In fact, he outscored the entire Clippers team by three in the period.

The win improved the Lakers’ record to 32-28 and elevated them into ninth place in the Western Conference. They’re three games behind the fifth-place Phoenix Suns, a team they defeated, 3-2, in the teams’ season series.

PHOTOS: Best images from Thunder’s 147-106 win over Wizards

The best photos from the Thunder’s 147-106 win over the Wizards.

The Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the Washington Wizards with their 147-106 win on Friday. It extended OKC’s winning streak to four in a row.

The Thunder scored a season-high 80 points in the first half to build a 23-point lead. The second half was essentially the same as OKC went on to score a season-high 147 points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and nine assists in three quarters. Chet Holmgren had 25 points and 10 rebounds in three quarters. The Thunder’s starters didn’t play in the final frame in a lopsided score.

Let’s look at some of the best photos from the Thunder’s 41-point win over the Wizards.

Player grades: Thunder dominate Wizards with 147-106 win

Player grades for the Thunder’s 147-106 win over the Wizards.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Receiving MVP chants at the free-throw line, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored his 30th point in the waning seconds of the third quarter as he sat out the final frame.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, no funny business was involved in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 147-106 win over the Washington Wizards.

“We just want to be a team that generates rhythm shots and open shots. I thought we did that tonight. We did that last night, we’ve done that for much of the year,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “We’ve gotten more open 3’s than most teams in the league.”

The Thunder put up 41 points in the first quarter against one of the worst defensive teams in the league. OKC added to its lead with a 39-point second frame. At halftime, the Thunder led the Wizards, 80-57. It was the most points scored in the first half for OKC this season.

The 147 points in regulation is a season-high for the Thunder. The lowly Wizards continue to be in the race for the worst record in the league and have now lost 10 in a row.

The third quarter was much of the same story as the Thunder totaled 37 points to enter the final frame with an eye-popping 117 points and a 36-point lead.

Due to the lopsided score, the Thunder were afforded the luxury of resting their starters in the final frame. By the end of the period, OKC walked away with a 41-point win.

The Thunder shot an impressive 60% from the field and went 20-of-40 (50%) from 3. They dished out 30 assists on 55 baskets. Seven Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with a typical 30-point outing. He made easy work of the Wizards in his three quarters of work. Chet Holmgren also had one of his best-scoring games of the season, totaling 25 points and 10 rebounds.

“He’s just refining on the offensive end of the floor,” Daigneault said about Holmgren. “He’s shooting his catch-and-shoots with a lot of confidence right now, regardless of make or miss. He’s also getting his size into the game around the basket, especially against switches.”

Meanwhile, the lowly Wizards shot 39% from the field and went 9-of-38 (23.7%) from 3. They dished out 20 assists on 41 baskets. Five Wizards players scored double-digit points.

Jordan Poole had 21 points on 7-of-19 shooting, three assists and three rebounds. Corey Kispert totaled 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 3-of-7 from 3. Kyle Kuzma scored 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

The relatively low-stress win is exactly the type of outing OKC needed after its massive win over the LA Clippers on the previous night. The Thunder continue to rack up wins and are riding a four-game winning streak.

Let’s look at Thunder player grades.

Full injury report for Friday’s Wizards vs. Thunder matchup

Full injury report for Friday’s Wizards vs. Thunder matchup.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play the Washington Wizards at home on Friday to complete their back-to-back. The Thunder will look to extend their current three-game winning streak.

Both teams enter relatively healthy in this contest. The Thunder won’t have Ousmane Dieng (G League assignment) and Adam Flagler (G League two-way), who are both out. Lindy Waters III (G League assignment), Olivier Sarr (G League two-way) and Keyontae Johnson (G League two-way) are all questionable.

Meanwhile, the Wizards won’t have Isaiah Livers (hip joint capsule inflammation), who is out. Jules Bernard (G League two-way) is also out.

The Thunder (38-17) are on the second night of a home back-to-back to start the post-All-Star break portion of their season.

On the first night, they picked up a critical win over the LA Clippers in a blowout that rewarded them with the head-to-head tiebreaker. This could prove to be vital as both teams fight it out the rest of the season in the standings.

Meanwhile, the Wizards (9-46) are quickly catching up for the worst record in the league. Washington has lost nine in a row. Its latest was a 20-point defeat to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday in the first night of its road back-to-back.

Tip off from Oklahoma City will be at 7 p.m. CT.

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Wizards vs. Thunder: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Friday

Wizards vs. Thunder: Lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for Friday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder play the Washington Wizards on Friday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Thunder (38-17) are on the second night of a home back-to-back to start the post-All-Star break portion of their season. On the first night, they picked up a critical win over the LA Clippers in a blowout that rewarded them with the head-to-head tiebreaker.

This could prove vital as both teams fight it out the rest of the season in the standings.

Meanwhile, the Wizards (9-46) are quickly catching up for the worst record in the league. Washington has lost nine in a row. Its latest loss was a 20-point defeat to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday in the first night of its road back-to-back.

This will be the second matchup between both teams. The Thunder outlasted the Wizards in a 136-128 win on Jan. 8.

Wizards’ Bilal Coulibaly wants to showcase more of his offense

Bilal Coulibaly has established himself as a strong defender this season, but is eager to showcase his ability on offense.

Bilal Coulibaly has established himself as a strong defender this season with the Washington Wizards, but the rookie from France is eager to showcase more of his ability on offense.

Coulibaly is averaging 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 36.3% shooting from 3-point range in 53 games with the Wizards. He is one of six rookies to average at least eight points, four rebounds and 1.5 assists this season.

The seventh pick has recorded at least one block in 28 games, and one steal in 24 games. He is one of four first-year players to register at least 40 steals and 40 blocks, joining Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren and Ausar Thompson.

He wants to show more than just his defense, though.

(I’ve) just been in the gym doing my thing, working on everything offensively and defensively. I’ve seen some good things about my defense, but I’m going to show more about my offense, too.

The Wizards have undergone some changes of late after moving on from head coach Wes Unseld Jr. Coulibaly is playing about three more minutes per game on average since Brian Keefe was named interim head coach on Jan. 25, posting 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

“We’re struggling a little bit as a team but we’re getting better,” Coulibaly said. “A lot of changes these past few weeks, so we’re figuring out some things, but we’re going to keep getting better.”

The 19-year-old has drawn high praise for his maturity and professionalism since joining the Wizards. He is seemingly open to criticism and strives to improve his overall game. He wants to continue to play more consistently and vowed to make that a point of emphasis.

He was among 11 rookies selected to compete in the NBA Rising Stars game after emerging as one of the top first-year players this season. He made that a goal of his and was happy to reach it.

“When I got drafted, that was one of my first goals,” Coulibaly said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got to be there and show I’m one of the best in my generation,’ and I think I did that. I’m happy for that.”

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NBA Rising Stars 2024: Bennedict Mathurin unanimously named MVP to lead Team Jalen to title

Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship.

Indiana Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin on Friday was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mathurin produced 18 points in the opening game as Team Jalen defeated Team Tamika. He had four points, two assists and one steal in a 26-13 win in the final over Team Detlef, which consisted of seven of the top players in the G League.

While Mathurin did the bulk of the scoring in the semifinal round, Dereck Lively II had six points and Jordan Hawkins and Jalen Williams each chipped in five points in the final. Williams drained the game-winning 3-pointer to end it for Team Jalen.

The event featured four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games were played to a target score of 40, and the championship game was played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consisted of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches and the players from the G League were selected by the league office.

The four teams were coached by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who led the G League team.

Here is how the teams performed in the event.

PHOTOS: Boston vs. Washington – Celtics escape Wizards 133-129

Let’s take a look at some of the best moments captured in images in the Celtics’ 52nd game of the 2023-24 NBA season vs. the Wizards.

Death. Taxes. A narrow Boston Celtics escape from a bad Washington Wizards ball club. These things are all reliable events one can predict with astounding ease, especially the latter in recent seasons. And such was the case in a tilt at TD Garden on Friday night.

In the first half, the Celtics could not get separation, but found their way in the second half, escaping with a 133-129 win despite shooting just 32.4% from deep, instead leaning into a 2-point attack of the rim to stay afloat. Boston struggled to contain the Wiz’ transition game throughout, Washington scoring 38 points in transition to Boston’s 18. But a win is a win, we suppose.

Let’s take a look at some of the best moments captured in images in the Celtics’ 52nd game of the 2023-24 NBA season vs. the Wizards.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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