Inside The Wizards

Wizards 'Flat' in Loss vs. Pelicans

The Washington Wizards couldn't hang against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jeremy Brener

Jan 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) leaps to pass the ball as Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) leaps to pass the ball as Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr (20) defends in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Washington Wizards couldn't come out on top in their 110-98 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night at home.

The Wizards fell behind early after a sizzling start from the Pelicans, who picked up right where they left off from Friday night's game in New Orleans.

Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma didn't like how the team played early on, and felt that it contributed to the loss.

“I think we just came out a little flat. We were a little tense at the beginning of the game when they got that lead out [in] the second quarter and we kind of played a little bit better from there, then had a couple lapses throughout. [We] stayed steady, but [we] need to be better still,” Kuzma said postgame.

The Wizards' problems throughout most of the year have been linked to being unable to piece together longer runs of consistent play. Teams that are towards the top of the league like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers play 48 minutes, or at least close to it, of high-quality, consistent basketball.

The Wizards find themselves doing that only a fraction of the time. It hurts especially when they don't start out strong, like they did against the Pelicans on Sunday night. When they go down early, it forces the Wizards to play behind the 8-ball all night long, and that's not good for anybody.

It creates poor possessions throughout the entire game and the Wizards don't get much value out of those.

If the Wizards want to be more competitive, they have to play well from the very beginning so they can keep teams on their toes for the remaining three quarters.

The Wizards' next game comes tomorrow when they take on the Houston Rockets. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

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