When the Wizards welcome the Memphis Grizzlies to Washington, D.C., on Sunday night, the home team will have a rare opportunity to mount a winning streak.
Washington snapped a 16-game losing streak on Saturday, weathering 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.
“Been waiting to do that one for a while,” Poole said.
The Wizards were waiting for a while to pick up a win, too — since Oct. 30, when a 133-120 defeat of Atlanta marked the second of back-to-back victories over the Hawks.
The 16-game slump Washington ended on Saturday tied the longest in franchise history, set in 2009-10 and matched last season.
During the losing streak, Poole had games of 31 points on Nov. 30 at Milwaukee and 42 points at San Antonio on Nov. 13, but neither was enough to pace the Wizards to a win. But with Jonas Valanciunas going for 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists vs. the Nuggets, and Justin Champagnie going 9 of 13 from the floor en route to 23 points, Washington got its best team effort in more than a month.
Champagnie’s output marked a career high in just his fourth appearance and first start of the season. He has played in twice as many games in 2024-25 with the G League 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 averaging in double figures in scoring for a Wizards team averaging just 107.4 points per game, sixth-fewest in the NBA.
Memphis, meanwhile, is the league’s second-most-prolific offense at 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 defeat of the reigning NBA champion Celtics marked Memphis’ eighth win in its past nine games. Ja Morant neared a triple-double on Saturday with 32 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Morant’s notched 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 Nov. 6 vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.
Even though he joked with reporters that the play had him rethinking going for in-game dunks the rest of the season, Morant’s sensational double-pump reverse jam off a baseline drive highlighted Saturday’s win.
“He’s recognized playing on balance actually opens up the floor a little bit more,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “He can get on balance to have his finishes at the rim. He can find teammates. … He’s seeing it. One of the smartest, most gifted players I’ve ever been around.”
Interior players Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke were key to the win over Boston with 27 and 18 points, respectively. Clarke shot 9 of 11 from the floor en route to his season-high scoring, and with eight rebounds he had his fourth game with eight-plus boards in the past eight contests.
–Field Level Media
