When the Wizards play the Memphis Grizzlies in Washington, D.C., on Sunday night, they will have a rare chance to start a winning streak.
Washington ended a 16-game losing streak on Saturday, beating the Denver Nuggets 122-113 despite Nikola Jokic’s career-high 56 points. Jordan Poole scored 39 points and set a career-high with nine 3-pointers, celebrating with a new dance.
“Been waiting to do that one for a while,” Poole said.
The Wizards had been waiting a long time to win, too—since Oct. 30, when they defeated Atlanta 133-120 in the second game of back-to-back wins over the Hawks.
The 16-game losing streak matched the longest in franchise history, which was also set in 2009-10 and matched last season.
During the losing streak, Poole had 31 points on Nov. 30 at Milwaukee and 42 points at San Antonio on Nov. 13, but neither performance was enough to get a win.
However, with Jonas Valanciunas scoring 20 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists against the Nuggets, and Justin Champagnie scoring 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, Washington had its best team effort in over a month.
Champagnie’s 23 points were a career high, and it came in just his fourth game and first start of the season. He has played more games in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go, averaging 20 points and 8.9 rebounds in his eight appearances there.
A number of injuries to Washington players gave Champagnie the opportunity 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 double figures in scoring for a Wizards team that scores just 107.4 points per game, the sixth-lowest in the NBA.
On the other hand, Memphis has the second-highest-scoring offense in the league, averaging 121.4 points per game. On Saturday, the Grizzlies shot 50 percent from the field, including 45.5 percent from 3-point range, to beat the Boston Celtics 127-121.
The win against the reigning NBA champions was Memphis’ eighth in the last nine games. Ja Morant nearly had a triple-double in the victory, finishing with 32 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
Since returning from a hip and pelvis injury, Morant has scored 31 or more points twice in his last five games, including a dunk that has him joking about not attempting dunks for the rest of the season.
“He’s recognized playing on balance actually opens up the floor a little bit more,” said Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins. “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.”
In the win over Boston, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke were also key contributors. Jackson scored 27 points and Clarke had a season-high 18 points, shooting 9 of 11 from the floor, along with eight rebounds. Clarke has had four games with eight or more rebounds in the last eight contests.
