March 12, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Washington Wizards coach Brian Keefe reacts during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Image The Washington Wizards have had trouble winning basketball games this season. Road wins have been particularly rare, as all but five of the team’s 16 wins have come at home.
The Wizards can end two long losing streaks when they visit the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. Washington enters this contest on a 10-game losing streak and has lost eight straight on the road.
Washington’s last two wins have both come against Indiana, the only team below the Wizards in the Eastern Conference standings. Washington nearly ended its losing streak Thursday when it overcame a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit before losing 136-131 to Orlando in overtime.
Washington coach Brian Keefe took a positive note from Thursday’s loss.
“The resilience tonight was incredible,” he said. ” … You could probably talk about how almost every player on the roster contributed in a positive way. They stepped up when they had the opportunity.”
Bilal Koulibaly scored a career-high 29 points in the loss, one game after Miami’s Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a 150-129 win over Washington. Koulibaly is averaging 10.8 points per game.
“We scored like a team,” Keefe said. “Obviously Bilal was great, but we did it as a group. We did it as a unit. A lot of guys stepped up.”
Boston will try to end its losing streak on Saturday as well. The Celtics are coming off road losses to San Antonio (125-116) and Oklahoma City (104-102) and haven’t lost three in a row since opening the season with losses to Philadelphia, New York and Detroit.
“I thought our effort and toughness was great,” Mazzulla said after Thursday’s loss to the Thunder. “Playing two great teams like that, obviously every possession counts. A few possessions didn’t go our way. That’s the difference in the game. It’s the difference in the game, but yeah, I thought we did a very good job. Thank you to the guys.”
Boston was without Jayson Tatum (Achilles management), Derrick White (knee contusion) and Nikola Vucevic (broken finger) against Oklahoma City. Tatum is averaging 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games since returning from offseason surgery. Tatum is scheduled to play Saturday and White is listed as a possibility.
Jaylen Brown is averaging a team-high 28.4 points per game for Boston while allowing 107.1 points per game, the fewest in the NBA. He scored 34 points against Oklahoma City. Boston also received 31 points from four bench players.
“We have some young wolves,” Brown said. “We play inspirational basketball. We come out every night and compete no matter who’s on the court. We’re not afraid of anyone. And we play together and we play as a team. I’m proud of our group. I’m proud of our approach to every game. We step out on the road and put our name to the test.”
Rookie Hugo Gonzalez was the best Boston bench player. He finished Thursday’s game with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals in just under 28 minutes.
Payton Pritchard said the Celtics have proven their roster has good depth.
“We’re not learning anything,” he said. “You’ve already seen it. It’s nothing new because they’re ready to play and play winning basketball. Now that the season is almost over, that’s what they’re doing.”
–Field level media
