Inside The Wizards

Pelicans vs. Wizards Preview: Revenge on the Horizon?

The Washington Wizards host the New Orleans Pelicans tonight.

Jeremy Brener

Jan 3, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon (15) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Jan 3, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon (15) drives to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Washington Wizards are hoping to get one back against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second game of their home-and-home series.

On Friday night, the Wizards visited the Pelicans in the Big Easy, where New Orleans walked away with a 132-120 win, snapping an 11-game losing streak for them.

C.J. McCollum dropped a cool 50 points on 18 of 27 shooting including 10 3-pointers. Stopping him from going off again will be a key for the Wizards as they look to get back in the win column.

The Wizards may benefit from the return of second-year pro Bilal Coulibaly, who missed Friday's game with a non-Covid illness. Coulibaly is questionable for the game and would likely draw the assignment of defending McCollum if he is on the floor.

This is a good opportunity for the Wizards to see if they did their homework and can learn from the mistakes that they made on Friday night in New Orleans.

Here's a look at everything you need to know ahead of tonight's game:

Pelicans vs. Wizards Information

  • Date, Location: Sunday, January 5 - Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
  • Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

Pelicans vs. Wizards Injury Report

Washington Wizards

  • SF Saddiq Bey (OUT - knee)
  • SF Bilal Coulibaly (QUESTIONABLE - illness)
  • PF Marvin Bagley III (OUT - knee)
  • SG Jordan Poole (QUESTIONABLE - hip)

New Orleans Pelicans

  • PG Dejounte Murray (QUESTIONABLE - elbow)
  • SG Brandon Ingram (OUT - ankle)
  • PF Zion Williamson (OUT - hamstring)
  • C Karlo Matkovic (OUT - back)

Pelicans vs. Wizards Projected Starting Lineups

Washington Wizards

  • PG Bub Carrington
  • SG Jordan Poole
  • SF Bilal Coulibaly
  • PF Justin Champagnie
  • C Alex Sarr

New Orleans Pelicans

  • PG Dejounte Murray
  • SG C.J. McCollum
  • SF Trey Murphy III
  • PF Herb Jones
  • C Yves Missi

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

Home/Washington Wizards News