The Washington Wizards closed out the preseason slate with an uninspiring showing against the Pelicans in New Orleans, falling 107-106 on Friday night despite late comeback efforts falling just short.
Anthony Davis and Kyshawn George finished with a team-high 14 points, while Davis notched another double-double after tallying 11 rebounds in just shy of 27 minutes. Alex Sarr added 12 points and nine rebounds in nearly 26 minutes, while Will Riley added another 11 points in nearly 11 minutes.
Advertisement
After trending in the right direction through the week, Khris Middleton also made his preseason debut as he registered five points and four rebounds in nearly 14 minutes.
Yet turnovers were an issue for the Wizards yet again after finishing with 23, the fourth consecutive preseason game the team has eclipsed 20 turnovers. Trae Young was responsible for five of those after adding seven points on 1-of-11 shooting from the field with his lone make coming from three. The upside is Young posted seven assists in another performance of the Wizards’ point guard showcasing his pass-first approach alongside an upgraded roster, though the inefficiency with the ball has been a growing concern.
Two of Young’s turnovers materialized in the first quarter, though similar to what head coach Brian Keefe noted days ago, some stemmed from the players still ironing out chemistry with positioning and entry passes, but it allowed the Pelicans to jump out to an early lead that they held onto for the entirety of Friday night.
The game also involved a scare after AJ Dybantsa went down midway through the second quarter with an ankle injury, drawing attention from the training staff on the floor before exiting the game. The broadcast announced that Dybantsa would not return to the second half due to the ankle injury with Chris Miller noting it was for precautionary reasons, ending his night with 12 points and two rebounds while shooting 50% from the field in just shy of 15 minutes.
Advertisement
While the half court offense remains a work in progress, Washington’s bench was able to put together a rally in the closing minutes before making it a one possession game in the final minutes. Trevor Keel’s three as time expired cemented the one point loss.
With the Wizards closing the preseason at 2-2 overall, Washington will now prepare for the regular season opener when the Milwaukee Bucks head to Capital One Arena next Wednesday, Oct. 21 with tipoff set for 7:00 PM ET.