The bottom feeders of the respective conference standings will meet in the nation’s capital on Saturday night when the Washington Wizards host the Dallas Mavericks.
A little more than two weeks into the regular season, Washington (1-8) is tied with the Brooklyn Nets for the league’s worst record, while Dallas (2-7) owns the worst mark in the Western Conference.
The Wizards’ only win came on Oct. 24, when it won at Dallas 117-107 thanks to Kyshawn George’s 34 points. Washington has since dropped seven straight, including a 148-114 home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA Cup play on Friday.
“It’s on me to get us to play to a better standard,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “We’ve got to find consistency at a higher level. It’s just about stacking good habits. That’s the most important thing for us going forward. Stacking good days, good habits.
“We’re stacking good halves, sometimes three quarters, but we’ve got to be better for 48 minutes. That’s my responsibility.”
Veteran CJ McCollum scored a season-high 25 points in his eighth game with Washington on Friday after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in July. Serving as a much-needed veteran for the youthful Wizards, the 34-year-old guard knows the youthful group is still trying to learn how to win in the NBA.
“Everybody wants success right away, but success takes time,” McCollum said. “It takes sacrifice, dedication, selflessness. I think we have all of those things, but in order to be good, you have to be able to do the little things. We’re growing towards that, but it takes real game experience.”
One player enjoying game experience is second-year Wizards center Alex Sarr, who leads the team with an average of 19.1 points per game. George follows with 16.8 ppg, but missed the Cleveland game due to an illness.
Dallas’ woes were less predictable than Washington’s, but the team has been as disappointing as any team in the West through the early part of the season.
The Mavericks are 0-4 in November and have the worst scoring offense in the league (106.0 points per game). Dallas trailed by as many as 35 points in its 118-104 road setback against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, playing from behind for the final 45 minutes of the game.
Coach Jason Kidd’s team has been plagued by injuries to star players.
Anthony Davis, out for the past four games because of a left calf strain, is considered day-to-day.
Dereck Lively II, who hasn’t played since Oct. 26 as he deals with a right knee injury, might be back next week. Kyrie Irving tore his left ACL in March and isn’t close to returning.
While PJ Washington (15.6 ppg) and first overall pick Cooper Flagg (14.1 ppg) try to keep the Mavericks afloat, Kidd believes it’s just a bad stretch.
“It just happens that we’re struggling early,” Kidd said. “Sometimes it happens in the middle of the season. Sometimes it happens at the end. So we’ve just got to keep fighting.”
