The Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets share similar struggles this season, although they will move forward with vastly different strategies.
While the Wizards are banking on the veteran pairing of Trae Young and Anthony Davis to guide them to new heights, the Nets forge ahead with far less star power as they are set to take plenty of cap space into the summer shopping season.
With new arrivals Young and Davis watching some of the Wizards’ younger players from the bench on Saturday afternoon, Washington will face Brooklyn, which has lost 10 of 11 games.
The Wizards were early into a nine-game losing streak when Young was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9 for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum.
Since the skid ended, Washington has gone respectable 4-2 since Jan. 27 and posted its most impressive win this season, 126-117 over the first-place Detroit Pistons on the road Thursday. Young continued to sit out with a quad injury that will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.
Washington surpassed 120 points for the eighth time on Thursday, its 53.8% from the floor was its third best and 18 made 3-pointers were the second-most this season.
The showing on offense came after making a surprising move to acquire Davis from the Dallas Mavericks — a little over a year after the center was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers for Luka Doncic.
“We’re thrilled to have him,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “Obviously he’s a Hall of Fame player, top 75 all-time. To add him to our roster, it’s obviously exciting. We’re looking forward to integrating him. I think it’s a really great step for our organization that we’re all excited about.”
Davis is sidelined with a finger injury and likely will get re-evaluated in early March. The Wizards also acquired D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum in the deal. While Exum is out for the season, Hardy and Russell might be available Saturday.
The Wizards are hoping to see another balanced showing from its young group. Eight players reached double figures against the Pistons, including rookie Will Riley, whose career-high 20 points gave him 55 in the past three games.
The Nets split a pair of games at Washington earlier this season and their 119-99 loss on Jan. 2 is among six by at least 20 points during their current 3-18 slide. The latest was a 118-98 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.
That loss occurred after the Nets kept Michael Porter Jr. on the roster, made a pair of small trades and waived Cam Thomas and Tyrese Martin.
“I think that we were not connected at all throughout the whole game,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “I know our guys are willing to do the right things.
“When you’re always half a second late or not talking when you’re supposed to, all those things are, it’s really hard to win a game.”
The Nets trailed by as many as 26 points against the Magic, shot 41.5% and committed 19 turnovers. Rookie Egor Demin had another encouraging performance with a career-high 26 points and six 3-pointers, one shy of his career-best.
Demin and fellow rookie Nolan Traore combined for 47 points on 15 of 25 from the floor on a night when Porter and Noah Clowney were a combined 2 of 19.
Porter is 2 of 16 from 3-point range in his past two games while Clowney is shooting 34.5% while playing in six of 11 games since Jan. 16.
