Less than 24 hours after a 139-132 loss in Atlanta, the 4-5 Wizards land in Oklahoma City for the second night of a back-to-back. The 7-2 Thunder are 4-0 at home and also played Friday, a 128-97 rout in Memphis. Kyshawn George is coming off 33; Anthony Davis sat Friday with the right ankle sprain, and tonight’s official injury report wasn’t in yet at press time.
The offense finally showed up Friday — 51% from the field, 18-of-34 from three, 22-of-24 at the line — and it still wasn’t enough. Atlanta put up a season-high 139, shot 53%, won the paint 62-50 and swept the home-and-home (AP recap via ESPN). Kyshawn George scored 33 with five threes and seven assists, Tre Johnson added 23 off the bench, and Trae Young had 23 and 10 assists but a season-high eight turnovers in his return to State Farm. Davis sat with the sprained right ankle. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (28) and Lu Dort (25) did the damage; Washington cut it to 135-132 late but got no closer.
George’s line: 33 points, 7 assists, 4 boards, 10-of-20 from the field, 5-of-7 from deep and 2 blocks (Greg Finberg). Finberg’s postgame pod take: “Kyshawn George is a guy to build around” (post).
Tre Johnson broke out with 23 on 5-of-10 from three after a few rough games. But Finberg’s verdict: “Washington's poor defense and continued defensive rebounding issues proved too much to overcome” (post). Bijan Todd: “Breathe — it’s 9 games in. But do the Wizards have a serious problem?” (post).
OKC is without Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Nikola Topić and Thomas Sorber (ESPN), and AP’s preview also lists Jalen Williams out with an ankle injury. It hasn’t mattered much: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 43 and 42 in back-to-back wins over Cleveland, and Ajay Mitchell (career-high 35) and SGA (28) ran Memphis off the floor Friday, 128-97, with OKC forcing 18 turnovers for 30 points (AP via ESPN).
Washington flew from Atlanta; OKC flew home from Memphis. The Thunder are 4-0 at Paycom Center, the Wizards 2-3 on the road (ESPN). Josh Robbins’ free-to-read piece on Trae’s emotional night in Atlanta — “happy reunions but also a defeat” — sets the mood for the turnaround (The Athletic).
| Team | Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | Anthony Davis | STATUS TBD | Right ankle sprain — missed Friday |
| WAS | Reece Beekman | OUT | Right AC joint (shoulder) |
| WAS | Justin Champagnie | OUT | Right foot surgery |
| WAS | Tristan Vukčević | OUT | Left hip |
| WAS | Jamir Watkins | OUT | Left ACL surgery (season) |
| OKC | Chet Holmgren | OUT | Knee |
| OKC | Jalen Williams | OUT | Ankle (per AP preview) |
| OKC | Cason Wallace | OUT | Shoulder surgery |
| OKC | Nikola Topić | OUT | Back |
| OKC | Thomas Sorber | OUT | Knee |
| OKC | Jaylin Williams | DAY-TO-DAY | Back spasms |
Washington gave Atlanta 26 points off 16 turnovers Friday, eight of them from Trae. OKC just turned 18 Memphis turnovers into 30 points (AP). Live-ball mistakes against this team are layup lines.
Rebounding is still the season-long leak, per Finberg’s postgame (post). OKC is thin up front without Holmgren; Isaiah Hartenstein leads them at 9.7 boards (ESPN). Win that matchup and the Wizards can hang.
18-of-34 Friday was the version of this offense Trae asked for. It won’t be 53% every night, but the volume has to stay.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 29.9 (ESPN). Nobody stops him; the goal is to keep him off the line and make Mitchell and Jared McCain (21 Friday) beat you too.
George’s encore. If Davis sits again, George and Trae carry the scoring on tired legs. The Wizards’ own postgame read on him: “On his way 📈” (@WashWizards).
OKC’s engine. SGA plus a supporting cast that keeps changing because of injuries; Mitchell has averaged 21.6 over his previous five before Friday’s 35 (AP).
Trae Young lost sleep as he anticipated playing his first game in Atlanta since his trade to the Wizards. When the moment finally arrived, it was a mixed bag, with happy reunions but also a defeat. Story in @TheAthleticNBA, free to read.
Kyshawn (33 points, 5-7 3PT) looked great. Tre Johnson (23 points, 5-10 3PT) looked great. The Wizards shot 51/53(!)/92. Offense was fantastic. But they lost 139-132 to Atlanta with AD out. Breathe — it’s 9 games in. But do the Wizards have a serious problem?
FINAL | ATL 139, WAS 132 Kyshawn George (33 PTS) was outstanding. As was Tre Johnson (23 PTS). But Washington's poor defense and continued defensive rebounding issues proved too much to overcome.
Kyshawn George tonight: 33 PTS 7 AST 4 REB 10-20 FG 5-7 3PT 2 BLK 📈📈📈
On his way 📈
Get up, it’s game dayyyyyy 🗣️
📻 106.7 The Fan hadn’t posted about the Wizards since Friday’s game when we checked (~10:15 AM ET); its latest posts were Commanders talk. We’ll swap in fresh Fan coverage at the 4 PM refresh if it’s there.
Oklahoma City is the better team even without Holmgren and Jalen Williams, and they’re unbeaten at home. But both teams played last night, the Wizards just dropped 132 in Atlanta, and eleven and a half is a lot of points for a short-handed rotation to cover.
Our gut: Thunder win outright. Wizards cover the +11.5 (Thunder −11.5, DraftKings via ESPN, ~10:10 AM ET snapshot). Pure vibes; there’s no model behind it.
📚 Previous issues: Fri Nov 6: Wizards at Hawks · Wed Nov 4: Hawks at Wizards · Mon Nov 2: Wizards at Magic · Fri Oct 30: Hornets at Wizards · Wed Oct 28: Wizards at Cavaliers · Mon Oct 26: Wizards at Hornets · Sat Oct 24: Wizards at Bulls · Fri Oct 23: Raptors at Wizards