Recap: Wizards lose to Bulls, 129-127

Wiz end with an L at Capital One Arena.

The Washington Wizards fans were unable to come away with a win in their penultimate regular season matchup against the Chicago Bulls. But there were at least a few positives from the Wizards’ 129-127 loss.

It was a battle of the benches Friday at Capital One Arena. The Bulls sat stars DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic after already having clinched homecourt advantage in their 9-10 play-in game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Wiz were shorthanded as well without Kyle Kuzma, Tyus Jones, and Jordan Poole.

The undermanned matchup granted us another sighting of point Deni Avdija. The Israeli played through an illness to lead Washington with a near-triple-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists on 9/15 shooting from the field. Avdija often played like the clear best player on the floor with a few man-sized moves to the basket.

For the fourth time in five games, Tristan Vukcevic broke his career high in scoring. He finished with 19 points on 5/11 shooting with 2 three-pointers. He also got to the free-throw line a career-best 9 times.

Vukcevic made a few rookie mistakes but often showed that he was unafraid to make plays other youngsters might hesitate to try. Case in point, this pass:

Corey Kispert also had a strong performance with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 6/11 shooting from deep.

The team’s other young players also had decent showings. Jared Butler (15 points, 10 assists) and Patrick Baldwin Jr. (19 points, 12 rebounds) both recorded double-doubles. Johnny Davis posted an efficient 15 points on 5/8 shooting and a career-high 4 threes.

Given the C-level lineups both teams trotted out, there wasn’t much to take away from the actual gameplay. But there were at least some encouraging signs in the Wizards’ home finale as the team takes stock of its roster in the offseason.

The Wizards close the season Sunday against the Boston Celtics.