But all the Washington Wizards who should have been warming up were injured.
The Wizards, who subsequently fell 137-114, were so demoralized that they had more players in civilian clothes on the bench than players in uniform.
Besides Bilal Coulibaly (wrist fracture) and Isaiah Livers (hip inflammation), both out for the season, Washington was without Kyle Kuzma (shoulder soreness), Deni Avdija (knee bruise), Tyus Jones (back sprain), Marvin Bagley III (back sprain), Eugene Omoruyi (ankle sprain) and Landry Shamet (calf sprain).
Despite all the sprains and strains listed on the injury report — which can (but don’t always) indicate a longer recovery time — interim coach Brian Keefe had no updates.
“I’m sure there will be a lot going on on a day-to-day basis, but we’ll keep you posted,” Keefe said.
As decimated as they were, the Wizards (11-58) toyed with the Rockets until late in the third quarter, when Jalen Green broke loose to score a nine-point run of his own and tip the lead. momentum in favor of Houston. The third-year guard was tough all night and tied a career high with 42 points to power the Rockets (33-35).
“We had some defensive errors. Jalen Green got hot, hit a couple threes,” said Wizards guard Jules Bernard, who had 16 points coming off the bench. “Once he got going, we tried to blitz him…we “We had a tough little defensive sequence for about five minutes, and it really was the game.”
The Wizards continued to get solid minutes from their bottom group. Corey Kispert set the tone early with 16 points, including four three-pointers, but the bench – Justin Champagnie, Jared Butler, Anthony Gill and Bernard – combined for 59 points and kept Washington afloat from the start. Jordan Poole had 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
Here’s what else to know about the Wizards’ loss, which was their fifth in a row and third in four days:
Coulibaly was one of several Wizards stuck on the bench Tuesday, sporting a sweatshirt and glasses after his rookie season was cut short. In 63 games, the 19-year-old averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 43.5 percent in 27.2 minutes.
Keefe said the Wizards were disappointed for Coulibaly. But looking on the bright side, he gets a head start on offseason work that he can do without injuring his wrist further.
“This guy showed growth month after month, week after week, game after game. … He’s going to be a staple for us going forward,” Keefe said. “He’s going to have a tremendous offseason. He can start a game right away. … We couldn’t be more impressed with the way he handled himself and his growth as a person and on the field this year.
The Wizards have an additional body to call on for reinforcement after the arrival of Tristan Vukcevic from his club based in Serbia. Keefe said the 7-foot center isn’t quite ready to make his NBA debut Tuesday but is “getting close.” The 21-year-old was on the bench but not in uniform.
“We’re getting him used to the way we do everything — our development system, our team, the things we run offensively and defensively,” Keefe said. “He’s been great through it all, so it’s just something we’re going with day by day.”
The brave members of a painfully thin crowd at Capital One Arena who stayed until the end were treated to a gift. Fans chanting “We want Bobi!” » Their wish was granted when Houston fan-favorite 7-foot-4 center Boban Marjanovic introduced himself to scattered but enthusiastic applause with 2:07 left. He scored five points.
Bernard had a memorable moment against the Serb: he managed to pass him a floater.
