The Washington Wizards have been extremely generous throughout the season. However, they picked a fine time to get downright stingy.
After tightening the clamps on defense in their last game, the NBA-worst Wizards will try to string together wins on Wednesday when they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to Washington.
The Wizards limited the Brooklyn Nets to just 12 points in the fourth quarter of a 107-99 decision on Monday. The 99 points allowed represented the lowest amount scored by an opponent since Washington limited the Detroit Pistons to 96 points on March 29, 2024.
The Wizards also received stellar offensive performances from Jordan Poole and Bilal Coulibaly. The former erupted for 26 points, marking the fourth time in the last seven games that he has scored at least 20, while the latter sank three 3-pointers to highlight his 20-point outing.
Coulibaly provided a proper bounce-back effort after making just 8 of 26 shots over his previous three games.
“He’s still learning, and he’s still figuring out what’s comfortable in his game,” Poole said of the second-year forward, per the Washington Post. “He’s a smart player, so he’s starting to read the game a little bit differently.”
Veterans Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton also made their presence felt for the young Wizards, albeit in different ways. Smart went 4-for-6 off the bench to finish with 10 points, while Middleton had five assists and finished with a team-best plus-16 rating.
“I think I’m that unique player where I can do both — play and mentor at the same time,” Smart said. “… Leading by example is something I live by.
“That’s what I do. I just feel good to be back on the floor, doing what I love.”
Anfernee Simons likely loves how he’s been playing of late. He scored 25 points in Portland’s 141-88 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday and 28 in a 114-112 win over the Utah Jazz two nights later. The 53-point win over Charlotte was the largest margin of victory in franchise history.
“We just could never really get control,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said following Monday’s game. “But to me, there’s just so much to learn from these type of games and you’re going to have to win ugly games. Last game, we won a beautiful-looking game, but you learn a lot more in these tough games.”
Jerami Grant scored 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor on Monday, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range. The shooting percentages were an improvement considering he went 9-for-37 from the field and 3-for-17 from beyond the arc over his previous three games.
Deni Avdija, a former Wizard, collected 18 points with 14 rebounds on Monday to propel Portland to victory in the opener of a seven-game road trip.
Scoot Henderson sank three 3-pointers for the second straight game, though his six turnovers left plenty to be desired on Monday.
“I’m not tripping about it,” Henderson told reporters. “I’m just waiting for the next game.”
