News Wizards Team Notes

[Washington Wizards]

Recap: Mystics finish on a 12-2 run to beat the Aces, 70-68

Brittney Sykes led the Washington Mystics to their 10th win of the season. | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Mystics are getting into strong midseason form.

It was a defensive battle, and the Mystics trailed most of the way, but they closed on a 12-2 run to beat the Las Vegas Aces, 70-68.

Sonia Citron and Shakira Austin were the offensive engines in the fourth quarter. Citron overcame a rough outing to score six points in the final 10 minutes. She finished the game with nine points on 2-10 shooting.

Austin scored six of her 16 points and grabbed six of her eight rebounds in just seven minutes of action in the final period.

Britney Sykes pumped in 18 points — including the pair of free throws with 4.1 seconds to play that capped Washington’s comeback.

Kiki Iriafen had 12 points on 4-4 shooting from the floor, as well as eight rebounds.

For the Aces, Jewell Loyd led with 20 points. Chelsea Gray was arguably Las Vegas’ top performer with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 3 blocks. Dana Evans chipped in 11 off the bench in a losing cause.

When I mentioned a defensive battle earlier, I meant it. Washington’s offensive rating (points scored per possession x 100) was 88. Seattle’s was 86. League average this season: 104.3. The teams shot a combined 5-36 (13.8%) from three-point range.

With the win, Washington moves to seventh place.

Next up for the Mystics — a matchup with Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, and Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm. (Yes, I almost typed Supersonics.)

It’ll also be a chance to catch up with former Mystics forward Alysha Clark, who signed with Seattle in the offseason. Clark has played 10 of her 13 professional seasons with the Storm.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/2025...nish-on-a-12-2-run-to-beat-the-las-vegas-aces

 

[Washington Wizards]

SB Nation Reacts: Analyzing what other NBA teams’ fanbases are thinking this summer

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

This week, we’ll take a look at whether you agree or disagree with some team survey results.

In this week’s SB Nation Reacts post, I didn’t have a Washington Wizards specfic survey. That was because I am on vacation the next couple of weeks. And that’s why I haven’t been writing as NBA Summer League is going on.

I looked at some team surveys from other sites and I just wanted to see what your take is on from a couple sites.

Here are some of the SB Nation Reacts surveys that other teams had. We’ll over them later this morning. pic.twitter.com/Q2BTrL0c35

— Bullets Forever (@BulletsForever) July 12, 2025​

At Mavs Moneyball, our Dallas Mavericks site, 84 percent of fans believe their team will make the playoffs this season. Now that Cooper Flagg is on the team along with Anthony Davis and a recent signing in D’Anelo Russell, that’s reason for their fans to be optimistic. In the 2024-25 season, the Mavericks made the postseason but were eliminated in the play-in tournament.

I was intrigued by two questions from Fear the Sword, our Cleveland Cavaliers site. One question asked which Eastern Conference team worries their fans the most. The New York Knicks had 54 percent of the vote and that wasn’t unsurprising. The Orlando Magic (27 percent) and Atlanta Hawks (9 percent) were after that. I get that the Indiana Pacers lost Tyrese Halliburton for 2025-26, but I would also think that they wouldn’t be … a doormat either.

The Cavaliers, who were the top team in the Eastern Conference regular season standings in 2024-25, also have an uneasy fanbase given that they lost in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. A significant portion, 40 percent, also believe that the team needs to make one more big trade to feel confident about another deep playoff run.

I’ll get up an SB Nation Reacts survey next week for us specifically. But in the meantime, feel free to chat about some of these results in the comments below.

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FanDuel is an SB Nation/Vox Media partner.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/2025...nalyzing-dallas-mavericks-cleveland-mavericks

 

[Washington Wizards]

Wizards vs. Nets preview: Washington looks to bounce back against Brooklyn

Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images

Game No. 2 in Vegas.

The Washington Wizards take on the Brooklyn Nets in their second 2025 Summer League contest scheduled for Sunday.

Game Info​

When: Sunday, July 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

How to Watch: League Pass

The Wizards will try to shake off their SL-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns, which featured some promising individual performances, but not much in the way of team success.

Washington has, at least on paper, one of the most stacked Summer League rosters in the league. Seven first-round picks from the last two drafts took the court for the Wiz on Sunday.

Kyshawn George asserted himself with a team-high 24 points on 10/18 shooting. He stuffed the stat sheet with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

No. 6 pick Tre Johnson flashed his scoring potential to the tune of 18 points on an efficient 7/13 clip, with some of those baskets coming with a very high degree of difficulty.

Bub Carrington and No. 21 pick Will Riley both had rough outings in the opener, shooting a combined 3/15 from the field.

The Nets’ Summer League team features two 2025 lottery picks in No. 8 Egor Demin and No. 12 Noa Essengue. But it was elder statesman Drew Timme who led Brooklyn in scoring with 22 points in their opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/2025/7/12/24466614/washington-wizards-brooklyn-nets-nba-game-preview

 

[Washington Wizards]

NBA Summer League recap: Wizards outlast Nets in 102-96 thriller

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

That was fun.

The Washington Wizards got their first 2025 NBA Summer League win Sunday with a 102-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at the Thomas & Mack Center.

No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson picked up right where he left off from Friday’s game. He scored 10 of the Wizards’ first 12 points in another demonstration of his high-level bucket-getting abilities.

Tre Johnson is on fire to start the game

10 points on 4/5 FG and 2/3 3PT

Also shows off the playmaking ability with a sharp cross court pass:
pic.twitter.com/61o7sNwg2g

— DC Rising (@DC__Rising) July 14, 2025​

We saw both the good and the bad from Johnson in that first half, as he went 0/2 from both the field and the free throw line in the second quarter. The Nets’ defense keyed in on Johnson in the second period, which led to the youngster forcing things a little bit.

Alex Sarr had an impactful first half. He posted 12 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks at the break with both teams tied at 50.

Washington came out of halftime with some fire, scoring the first 10 points of the third quarter. The good guys carried a five points lead into an eventful final period, which had a little bit of everything Wizards fans would’ve wanted to see.

AJ Johnson had a poster dunk. Will Riley had a good sequence with an in-motion triple followed by an and-one finish. Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George each had clutch buckets in the final two minutes. Sarr had Nets players second-guessing themselves with his rim protection. And finally, Tre Johnson iced the game at the free throw line to seal a six-point win.

The Texas alum scored 21 points on an efficient 7-11 shooting. While he had some offensive blinders on at times, he looked comfortable with the ball in his hands down the stretch and drew multiple fouls.

Sarr looked like the Summer League DPOY with his eight blocks to go along with his 16 points and 12 rebounds. Edit: Sarr broke the single-game record for most blocks in Summer League history (Thanks, Max Zamphirescu).

Alex Sarr now has 8 blocks. Here’s one of the three he’s had in the final three minutes of the 4th. pic.twitter.com/I5D2lCd1so

— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) July 14, 2025​

Alex Sarr tonight pic.twitter.com/upbvwUEuXQ

— Matt (@sixringsofsteeI) July 14, 2025​

Carrington and Riley combined for 33 points on 10-13 shooting. George struggled with his shot (4-16) but once again filled the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

Next for the Wizards is a Tuesday tilt against Philadelphia 76ers and No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe, whose status remains up in the air due to a thumb injury.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/2025/7/13/24467158/washington-wizards-brooklyn-nets-nba-summer-league

 

[Washington Wizards]

Recap: Mystics beat Storm, 74-69

Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images

The Mystics are also above .500 again and have a three game win streak.

The Washington Mystics defeated the Seattle Storm on Sunday night 74-69. The win gets the Mystics to an 11-10 record which brings them back above 500 and at the No. 7 seed in the playoff picture. Furthermore, this is a big win against a higher seated opponent since Seattle fell to 13-9 and is the No. 4 seed in the WNBA standings.

If you only watched this contest through the end of the third quarter, you would probably think that the Mystics were going to lose. They shot under 29 percent from the field and finished the period behind 55-47.

However, Washington came roaring back in the fourth quarter as Brittney Sykes scored 11 of her 19 points, and the Mystics shot nearly 69 percent from the field. The Storm shot just 29.4 percent. The 27-14 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter was also more than enough to give the Mystics a big win over a possible playoff opponent.

In addition to Sykes, Sonia Citron added 17 more points. Kiki Iriafen had a double double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

For Seattle. Ezi Magbegor led with 19 points and Nneka Ogwumike added 16 more.

The Mystics’ next game is on Tuesday on the road again the Los Angeles Sparks. It is also their last game before the All-Star break. Tip off is at 10 p.m.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/myst...hington-mystics-seattle-storm-wnba-game-recap

 

[Washington Wizards]

Wizards vs. 76ers preview: Washington hunts for second SL win against Philly

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Alex Sarr and co. get back to work.

The Washington Wizards take on the Philadelphia 76ers in their third 2025 Summer League contest scheduled for Tuesday.

Game Info​

When: Tuesday, July 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

How to Watch: NBA TV, League Pass

Washington is riding high after snagging its first SL win Sunday over the Brooklyn Nets. Virtually all of the Wizards’ youngsters played well in the 102-96 contest.

Alex Sarr led the way defensively with a Summer-League-record eight blocks on top of his 16 points and 12 rebounds. Tre Johnson stayed sizzling-hot offensively with 21 points on 7/11 shooting.

The Wizards take on a winless Sixers squad that may not have prized rookie VJ Edgecombe available. The No. 3 overall pick is nursing a thumb injury that could derail the first-ever VJ-Tre clash in the pros.

Aside from Edgecombe, Philadelphia’s roster features incoming sophomores Adem Bona and Justin Edwards.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/2025...-philadelphia-76ers-nba-summer-league-preview

 

[Washington Wizards]

NBA Summer League recap: Wizards offense MIA in 74-58 loss to 76ers

Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

This was an ugly one.

Offense was optional Tuesday in the Washington Wizards’ 74-58 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in their 2025 NBA Summer League matchup at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Missing most of its main weapons, the Wizards could not find any reliable source of scoring in the contest.

Washington got off to a promising 9-0 start after Liam Robbins hit a couple of threes early. Eight of the Wizards’ first nine shots were from distance, with the team going 4/8 in those attempts.

The hot shooting proved to be unsustainable as the Wiz went 2/22 from three the rest of the way. The only thing that kept Washington in the game was how ice-cold the Sixers also were from the field. The two teams combined to shoot 45/133 (33.8%).

AJ Johnson was suddenly thrust into the first-option role. He also struggled with his outside shot, going 1/7 from deep. But he still found ways to score a game-high 20 points on a 7/20 clip. He also had a few tough-luck misses on layups right at the rim.

Johnson was Washington’s lone source of offense in the fourth quarter. He put up all 11 of the Wizards’ points as the 76ers ran away with it late.

Jamir Watkins, who looked very raw offensively, was able to flash his immense defensive potential. He had several pick-six steals that led to easy transition points. He tied a Summer League record with eight swipes to go along with his 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, and three blocks.

Watkins also did an excellent job defending No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe. The Sixers rookie had an inefficient night, going 4/14 for 15 points.

The Wizards face the Utah Jazz next in a back-to-back scheduled for Wednesday.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/2025...-wizards-philadelphia-76ers-nba-summer-league

 

[Washington Wizards]

Wizards vs. Jazz preview: Washington tries to keep Utah winless in Vegas

Photo by Ryan Stetz/NBAE via Getty Images

The Jazz are deceptively stacked for a 0-3 team.

The Washington Wizards face off against the Utah Jazz in their fourth 2025 Summer League contest scheduled for Wednesday.

Game Info​

When: Wednesday, July 16 at 10:00 p.m. ET

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

How to Watch: League Pass

The Wizards’ heavy hitters are fresh from a day off as the team takes on the Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back.

Washington showed what it’s capable of at full strength in Sunday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. Alex Sarr imposed his will on the defensive end in that contest with his Summer-League-record eight blocks.

Sarr faces a tall task Wednesday in his matchup against fellow second-year center Kyle Filipowski, whose 29.3 points per game average leads Vegas in scoring. The Jazz roster also features 2024 first-round picks Cody Williams and Isaiah Collier.

The Jazz’s two first-round picks this season both have some loose ties to the Wiz. Utah selected Ace Bailey fifth overall, despite several reports projecting him to end up in Washington. Bailey’s status for the contest — and his first showdown with Tre Johnson — remains up in the air due to a hip flexor injury. Bailey has yet to play in Vegas through his team’s first three games.

Utah acquired No. 18 overall pick Walter Clayton Jr. in the deal that allowed Washington to draft Will Riley (21st pick) and Jamir Watkins (43rd pick). Clayton had a strong Vegas debut with 21 points, but has missed the last two games because of a hamstring issue.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/2025...n-wizards-utah-jazz-nba-summer-league-preview

 

[Washington Wizards]

Serbia vs. Estonia preview: Tristan Vukcevic begins EuroBasket play on Wednesday

The Serbia men’s national team plays Estonia on Wednesday in EuroBasket 2025. Here is the preview:

Game Info​

When: Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 2:15 p.m. ET

Where: Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia

How to watch: Stream on Courtside 1891

What to watch for​

The Serbians are the second-ranked team in the world. They will kick off their group stage games in Group A against Estonia, the No. 43 ranked team in the world. Needless to say, Serbia is the runaway favorite.

The Serbians are led by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, but Washington Wizards fans will be looking at Tristan Vukcevic. He’ll play a supporting role to Jokic, but that’s how it works when an NBA MVP is there. The Estonians do not have NBA players, but Henri Drell has experience palying for the Chicago Bulls in the 2023-24 season. Let’s see how the Serbians and Estonians take care of business tomorrow!

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/international-basketball/64959/serbia-estonia-eurobasket-preview

 

[Washington Wizards]

Mystics at Valkyries preivew: Washington heads to Golden State for weekend matinee

The Washington Mystics play the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday afternoon on the road, but evening time locally. Let’s preview

Game info​

When: Saturday, Aug. 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network

Injury report: For the Mystics, Jacy Sheldon (ankle) and Georgia Amoore (knee) are out. For the Storm, Valkyries, Cecilia Zandalsini (calf), Monique Billings (ankle), and Kayla Thornton (knee) are out. Carla Leite and Tiffany Hayes are day-to-day.

Game notes​

This may shock you, but after a five game losing streak, the Mystics are still not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. They will face off against the 19-18 Valkyries, who currently hold the No. 8 seed. If Washington can pull of the win, their hopes are alive. If not, well, they will have some lottery balls coming their way for 2026.

I’m not expecting too much for the Mystics at this point in the season in terms of the standings with just five games left to go this season. However, I hope to see at least some fight from the Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen duo to the end.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/myst...tics-golden-state-valkyries-wnba-game-preview

 

[Washington Wizards]

Mystics at Sparks preview: Washington completes weekend back-to-back on Sunday

The Washington Mystics play the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday evening on the road. Here is the preview:

Game Info​

When: Sunday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

How to watch: Monumental Sports Network

Injuries: For the Mystics, Georgia Amoore and Jacy Sheldon are out. The Sparks have no reported injuries.

What to watch for​

The Mystics will play the second game of a back-to-back tonight against L.A. It’s also the second straight game against a team that is fighting for a playoff spot. With Washington officially out of the playoff race after Saturday’s loss to the Golden State Valkyries, all they can do now is play spoiler.

Since the Sparks are hosting this game and won’t be on the second half of a back-to-back. They’ll be favorites, however LA also heads into this game on a two game losing streak. We shall see how tomorrow night’s game goes as Washington looks to end their season on a more positive note.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/myst...gton-completes-weekend-back-to-back-on-sunday

 

[Washington Wizards]

France vs. Israel final score: Deni Avdija leads Israelis to 82-69 upset win

The France men’s national basketball team lost to Israel, 82-69 on Sunday in Katowice, Poland.

This game was a relatively even affair for most of the contest. However, the Blues and Whites went on a big run to get the upset win over Les Bleus.

Portland Trail Blazers forward (and former Wizards player) Deni Avdija scored 23 points and grabbed 8 rebounds to lead Israel in the win. He shot 7-of-10 from the field and made 3-of-4 three pointers. In addition, Yam Madar added 17 points and Roman Sorkin added 12 more.

For France, Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher scored 14 points to lead Les Bleus. Bilal Coulibaly scored 4 points but was also limited by foul trouble.

Les Bleus next game is against Poland, the home team in their group. Tip off is at 2:30 p.m. ET. See you then.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/inte...-israel-eurobasket-2025-mens-basketball-recap

 

[Washington Wizards]

Serbia vs. Czech Republic preview: Serbians seek 4-0 start to group play

The Serbia men’s national team plays Czech Republic in EuroBasket 2025 on Monday. Here is the preview:

Game Info​

When: Monday, Sept. 1 at 2:15 p.m. ET

Where: Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia

How to watch: Stream on Courtside 1891

What to watch for​

The Serbians are looking to get to 4-0 after beating Latvia on Saturday. Washington Wizards center Tristan Vukcevic had five points and one rebound in the victory. Vukcevic has enjoyed a strong tournament to this point, stretching the floor at times with his outside jumper.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/inte...preview-serbians-seek-4-0-start-to-group-play

 

[Washington Wizards]

Serbia vs. Czech Republic final score: Serbians win 82-60

The Serbia men’s national basketball team defeated the Czech Republic, 82-60 on Monday in EuroBasket 2025 Group A play.‘

Like most of the group play games for Serbia so far, they never trailed. the Serbians shot 54 percent overall while the Czechs only shot 32 percent themselves. Tristan Vukcevic scored 5 points for Serbia while Nikola Jokic scored 10 points. Filip Petruseve scored 13 points overall.

For the Czech Republic, Jaromir Bohacik scored 12 points to lead them.

Serbia’s next game is against Turkey on Wednesday. Tip off is at 2:15 p.m. ET. See you then.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/inte...epublic-eurobasket-2025-mens-basketball-recap

 

[Washington Wizards]

France vs. Poland preview: France seeks bounce-back win

The France men’s national team plays Poland in EuroBasket 2025 on Tuesday. Here is the preview:

Game Info​

When: Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m. ET

Where: Spodek Arena, Keyowice, PL

How to watch: Stream on Courtside 1891

What to watch for​

The French are looking to get to 3-1 after losing to Israel on Sunday. Wizards wing Bilal Coulibaly had a relatively quiet game last time out, scoring just four points on 1-for-4 shooting. Wizards forward Alex Sarr missed Sunday’s game with a calf muscle injury, France announced. It’s unclear if Sarr will return against Poland.

Source: https://www.bulletsforever.com/inte...s-poland-preview-france-seeks-bounce-back-win