As 2024 gets into full swing, it’s safe to assume winning or having a solid defense weren’t New Year’s resolutions for the Wizards. Washington continues to have a league-worst defense and overall record as they rank dead last in points allowed per game with 125.9, and have the 28th-worst point differential of -10.7. Across six games, the Wizards finished with a 1–5 record, bringing their total to 7–32. Here’s what happened in the last two weeks of Wizards basketball:

Cavaliers

Washington started the week on Jan. 5 with a loss, as usual. The Wizards had no chance of victory against a superior opponent the Cleveland Cavaliers (20–15). Washington shot 41.7% from the field in the 114–90 defeat compared to Cleveland’s 53.2%. Washington also shot a measly 30% from three-point range. Tyus Jones was the Wizards’ leading scorer in the game with just 16 points, and Bilal Coulibaly was close behind him with 15 of his own coming off the bench. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell led the way with a 26-point performance, with center Jarret Allen recording a double-double. 

Washington was again heavily out-rebounded 52-31, following the common theme this season. Cleveland now leads the regular season series 2–0, with the next matchup between the Eastern Conference foes coming on Feb. 7.

Knicks

Washington’s next contest was a home matchup against the New York Knicks (21–15) on Jan. 6. The Knicks were in total control across all four quarters, resulting in a 121–105 defeat for the Wizards. Washington’s defense had no answer for Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, who scored 39 and 33 points respectively. The Wizards weren’t too bad, with Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija scoring 27 and 23 points. Still, the lack of a star defensive player or a borderline elite defender hurt Washington again. 

In total team stats, very little separated both squads as they shot around 48% from the field and 37% from the three-point range with 45 rebounds. The Wizards finished at 0–3 in the season series against New York, with the series finale on Jan. 18 resulting in a Wizards 113–105 defeat.

Thunder

The Wizards’ next game was a second consecutive home game on Jan. 8, against the Oklahoma City Thunder (24–11). In the 136–128 defeat for Washington, Jordan Poole was their top scorer with 24 points, closely followed by Kuzma, Avdija and Jones, who all had point totals north of 15. Kuzma also recorded a double-double with 15 rebounds. 

For the Thunder, their young core got the job done in their victory; Rookie Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams were their leading scorers. They all scored over 20 points, with Gilgeous-Alexander leading with 32 points and Williams recording 10 assists for a double-double. Moving on to team stats, it was another close game in every category, except for overall field goal percentage, as OKC shot 59.1% compared to the Wizards’ efficient 49.4%. The Wizards now stand at 0–1 in the season series against the Thunder, with the series finale coming on Feb. 23. 

Pacers

Washington’s final game of​ the week came on Jan. 10 against the Indiana Pacers (22–15) on the road. Despite Indiana missing their star guard and NBA assist leader Tyrese Haliburton due to a left hamstring strain, the Wizards still couldn’t pull out a win, falling 112–102. Only one Wizard, Poole, surpassed the 20-point mark with a 28-point effort on the night. Kuzma again recorded a double-double with 11 points and rebounds. The Pacers played a complete team game, as only three players who appeared in the game scored less than 10 points, with all seven others passing the 10-point mark. Center Myles Turner turned in the best performance for Indiana with his 18-point double-double. 

Washington had an insulting three-point performance as they shot 22.6% from downtown, compared to an even 32% from the Pacers. Other team stats were relatively close with identical field goal percentages and a slight difference in rebounds going in Indiana’s favor. Washington’s defeat marked the end of their season series against the Pacers, which Indiana won 2–1.

Hawks

The first game of week 12 was a road contest on Jan. 13 against the Atlanta Hawks. The Wizards came out with a 127–99 final score in the season series finale. Washington took advantage of the Hawks’ lackluster offensive performance, with six Wizards logging over 10 points compared to the four Hawks, who had a double-digit total. Kuzma scored 29 points in the victory, followed closely by Poole and Avdija, who had 20 and 19 points respectively.

Regarding overall team play, Washington shot drastically better than Atlanta, with a 48.5% shooting percentage compared to 34.4% for Atlanta. The Wizards also shot better from three-point range with a 37.5 clip from deep, with the Hawks shooting 27.5%. Washington’s victory helped them avoid the season sweep against the Hawks, ending their series with Atlanta winning 3–1.

Saturday Trade

Before Washington’s matchup with the Detroit Pistons, there was a trade between the two franchises that saw forwards Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala join Detroit, with Washington gaining forwards Isaiah Livers, Marvin Bagley III and two second-round picks in 2025 and 2026. This trade sees that Washington will get much-needed rebounding help off the bench from Bagley, who has averaged seven rebounds a game across his seven-year career. Unfortunately, the Wizards will also take on a salary hit due to Bagley’s 12.5 million dollar salary. Bagley has averaged 10.2 points a game this season, which should take a rise in Washington, where he will get significantly more playing time. Washington’s other acquisition is fellow forward Isaiah Livers, averaging five points per game while playing 20 minutes a game. 

Pistons

While Washington got the better of Detroit in the trade, on the court, it was the Pistons with the upper hand as they defeated the Wizards 129–117. Washington put in a disgraceful performance against a very inferior opponent. Playing a team that is in the conversation for the worst team in the history of North American sports, a victory was expected. Still, instead, Washington allowed career roleplayer Alec Burks to tie his career high in points with 34 points off the bench. In contrast, Washington’s entire starting five along with most of the Wizards bench, had negative plus/minuses. 

As usual, the Wizards failed to capitalize on poor plays from their opponent, as the Pistons shot only 73.9% from the free-throw line. Embarrassing losses like this could have head coach Wes Unseld Jr. in danger of losing his job alongside other coaching changes. The series between the two teams is tied at 1–1, and Washington next faces Detroit on Jan. 27.

Week Thirteen Preview

The thirteenth week of NBA action for the Wizards starts with a road game against the Knicks on Jan. 18. Then the week concludes with a long homestand for Washington lasting from Jan. 20 to Jan. 24, with the Wizards facing off against the San Antonio Spurs and rookie phenomenon Victor Wembyama, the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets and the current first place team in the Western Conference Minnesota Timberwolves.