The Dallas Mavericks are championship contenders in “win now” mode. The Washington Wizards, to put it kindly, are not. In related news, Luka Doncic posted a triple-double and Kyrie Irving added 25 as Dallas soundly defeated the Wizards, 137-101.
Washington, which is in the early stages of a lengthy rebuild, entered the contest with 15 consecutive losses and limited firepower, thanks to injuries to forwards Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert. After completing a winless November, the Wizards remain content to take their lumps now while dedicating extended minutes to the kids on the roster in hopes of brighter days ahead. While that’s a smart strategy long term, it makes for some ugly struggles in the interim.
Seven Dallas players finished with double digits in points, including Doncic (21 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds) as the Mavericks toyed with the Wizards for most of the night. The Mavericks, who have now won six straight games, shot 53 percent from the field and 52 percent from three-point range, while also dominating the boards (58 to 39) and blocked shots (12 to 3).
Forward Marvin Bagley III and guard Malcolm Brogdon each scored 16 points for Washington, which drops to an NBA-worst 2-18 record after the loss. For the second year in a row, the Wizards have a 16-game losing skid. Washington now needs to defeat the 2023 NBA champions Denver Nuggets in order to avoid setting the franchise’s new record for futility, with a 17th consecutive loss.
