The Washington Wizards will aim to avoid setting a franchise-record losing streak when they host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
The Wizards have lost 16 consecutive games, tying a franchise record initially set during the 2009-10 season. They currently sit last in the Eastern Conference, but coach Brian Keefe believes it is all part of the maturation process for this young team.
Out of the 16 losses, only one has been by less than double digits—a nine-point defeat to the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 13. Three of the past four losses have been by 25 points or more.
This marks the second consecutive season the Wizards have endured a 16-game losing streak, making them only the sixth NBA team to have losing streaks of such length in back-to-back years. The NBA record for a single-season losing streak is 28, set by the Detroit Pistons last season.
Wizards’ second-year forward Bilal Coulibaly has particularly struggled. He was 0-of-10 from the floor against the Mavericks and has gone 4-of-31 from the field and 1-of-12 from three-point range over the past four games.
Jordan Poole leads the Wizards with an average of 20 points and five assists per game. No. 1 pick Alexandre Sarr is averaging 10.6 points per game while playing 26.8 minutes per game. Additionally, the Wizards face the toughest schedule in the league for December, according to NBA.com.
Denver has alternated wins and losses over its past eight games and currently stands eighth in the Western Conference. The Nuggets allowed 22 three-pointers in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night while making just six themselves.
The Nuggets have yet to regain the form that made them an NBA powerhouse over the past two seasons. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic leads the team with 29.9 points and tops the NBA with 13.4 rebounds per game. Five different Nuggets are averaging at least 15 points per game, but defensively, they rank 24th in the NBA, allowing 116.8 points per game.
This will be the 101st meeting between the two franchises. Denver has won the past six matchups.
