Inside The Wizards

Wizards Lose Two Starters Before Thunder Game

The Washington Wizards won't have key players in action against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly (0) brings the ball downcourt against the Milwaukee Bucks in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly (0) brings the ball downcourt against the Milwaukee Bucks in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards have a tall task tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and their job may have just gotten a little more difficult.

According to Washington Post reporter Varun Shankar, rookie Alex Sarr (back) and Bilal Coulibaly (groin) are out tonight against the Thunder.

Coulibaly, 20, has been one of the Wizards' best players so far this season. He has averaged 19.6 points and 6.8 rebounds over his last five games and had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the team's last game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Sarr, 19, has been dealing with the back soreness for a while, but it is on the wrong side tonight and he will be out.

They join Kyle Kuzma (ribs) and Saddiq Bey (torn ACL) on the injury report. Kuzma has been out since Nov. 27 after suffering the injury in the middle of a game against the Los Angeles Clippers while Bey has been sidelined for the entire season.

For the Thunder, Chet Holmgren (hip) is out, while Nikola Topic (torn ACL), Adam Flagler (broken hand), Alex Ducas (back) and Branden Carlson (concussion) are all appearing on the injury report as well.

The Wizards will miss Sarr and Coulibaly's presence on the court tonight, but they will have to find a way to pick up his slack to try and compete against the Thunder.

Tipoff for the game is set for 8 p.m. ET.

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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.

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