Recap: Wizards lose 133-126 to Pelicans

Aggressive Deni came to play tonight.

Deni Avdija gifted lonely Washington Wizards fans a bouquet of buckets on Valentine’s Day. It just wasn’t enough in a 133-126 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.

Avdija took complete advantage of Kyle Kuzma’s absence and erupted for 43 points on 13-of-24 shooting from the field. The 23-year-old also had 14 rebounds, 6 threes, and a career-high 13 free throw attempts.

Avdija looked like the best player on the floor for most of a game that featured All-Stars like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. Deni repeatedly attacked the basket with ferocity, like he did on this AvdiJam.

Washington fell behind by as many as 20 points in the first half largely due to a lopsided turnover margin (12 vs New Orleans’ 4) but the Wizards were able to regroup. After trailing 66-46 at the 2:57 mark of the second, the Wiz went on a furious 41-15 that gave them a 6-point lead midway through the third quarter.

That third frame belonged to Avdija. He nearly matched his previous career high in Q3 alone with 20 points in the quarter. Deni also earned 8 free throws and made all of them.

The Pelicans eventually managed to take control in the fourth quarter. Despite some big plays from Jordan Poole and Tyus Jones, the Wizards fell short of a road upset.

Though in a season where the final scores are relatively inconsequential for a rebuilding Wiz squad, tonight felt like a win from a developmental standpoint.

Corey Kispert looked awesome off the bench with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. Kispert and Avdija combined for 11 threes on the night. Jones added 14 points and 13 assists, while Poole added 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in the contest.

The Wizards next play after the All-Star break against the defending-champion Denver Nuggets.