When the Washington Wizards welcome the Memphis Grizzlies to Washington, D.C., on Sunday night, the home team will have a rare opportunity to build a winning streak.
On Saturday, the Wizards snapped a 16-game losing streak, overcoming Nikola Jokic’s career-high 56 points to beat the Denver Nuggets 122-113. Jordan Poole hit a career-high nine 3-pointers, scored 39 points, and unveiled a new celebratory dance.
The Wizards had been waiting since Oct. 30 to pick up a win when a 133-120 defeat of Atlanta marked the second of back-to-back victories over the Hawks.
The 16-game losing streak Washington ended on Saturday tied the longest in franchise history, previously set in 2009-10 and matched last season.
During the losing streak, Poole had notable performances with 31 points on Nov. 30 against Milwaukee and 42 points on Nov. 13 against San Antonio, but neither was enough to secure a win. However, with Jonas Valanciunas contributing 20 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, and Justin Champagnie going 9 of 13 from the floor for 23 points against the Nuggets, Washington delivered its best team effort in over a month.
Champagnie’s performance marked a career high in just his fourth appearance and first start of the season. He has played in twice as many games in the 2024-25 season with the G League’s Capital City Go-Go, averaging 20 points and 8.9 rebounds in his eight appearances there.
A variety of injuries on the Washington roster opened the door for Champagnie to step in, with Malcolm Brogdon, Kyshawn George, Corey Kispert, Kyle Kuzma, and Alex Sarr all sidelined.
Brogdon, Kispert, Kuzma, and Sarr are all averaging in double figures for a Wizards team that averages just 107.4 points per game, the sixth-fewest in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Memphis is the league’s second-most-prolific offense, averaging 121.4 points per game. On Saturday at Boston, the Grizzlies shot 50 percent from the floor, including 45.5 percent from 3-point range, in a 127-121 win.
The victory over the reigning NBA champion Celtics marked Memphis’ eighth win in its past nine games. Ja Morant came close to a triple-double on Saturday with 32 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
Morant has scored 31-plus points twice in the past five games since returning from missing nine of the previous 10 with a hip and pelvis injury sustained on a dunk attempt on Nov. 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even though he joked with reporters that the play had him rethinking in-game dunks for the rest of the season, Morant’s sensational double-pump reverse jam off a baseline drive highlighted Saturday’s win.
Interior players Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke were key to the win over Boston, scoring 27 and 18 points, respectively. Clarke shot 9 of 11 from the floor for his season-high scoring, and with eight rebounds, he had his fourth game with eight-plus boards in the past eight contests.
