The Washington Wizards finally concocted a game their fanbase would love after taking care of business against the Atlanta Hawks to end their 14-game winning streak. This means they now share the title of current worst team in the league together with Indiana Pacers who like them have two wins.
The Wizards overcame the towering presence of their former player Kristaps Porzingis who had 22 points in 22 minutes and needed veteran CJ McCollumn to explode for 46 points, his second highest scoring game in his career.
He did that by converting 10 threes to match the most number of 3-point field goal in a game in the franchise set by Trevor Ariza.
It was not just McCollum though. The whole team chipped in to fight for the win. Head coach Brian Keefe especially commended his 2023 7th overall pick Bilal Coulibaly for his aggressiveness from the get go.
“I thought early in the game, he was the one who got downhill and got into the paint that led to some of the spray outs,” Keefe told reporters after the game.
“We’re starting to see him be able to initiate, play with pace, because he can cause havoc with his speed.”
Brian Keefe on Bilal Coulibaly’s offensive impact:
“I thought early in the game, he was the one who got downhill and got into the paint that led to some of the spray outs…We’re starting to see him be able to initiate, play with pace, because he can cause havoc with his speed.”
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) November 26, 2025
This is a wondrous statement as Coulibaly scored just 9 points,
Washington Wizards missed 2 rotation guys
Alex Sarr put up 27 points while while Corey Kispert added 19. Veteran Khris Middleton had an almost triple double of 10 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists.
This type of production is needed as the Hawks (no Trae Young) were not the only ones missing key guys.
Wizards were without Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George who before Tuesday played in all the assignments they had. Together, they put up 28 points and almost 10 rebounds per game.
Alex Sarr talked about their mentality entering their game knowing they will miss the two players.
Alex Sarr on how the Wizards had their best night of the season without Kyshawn George or Tre Johnson:
“Yeah, we definitely miss those guys out there…It’s just next man up…We’re sharing the ball a lot, I feel like. First half, second half too. That worked for us.” pic.twitter.com/3Gm6ohtJu1
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) November 26, 2025
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