Wizards vs Pelicans Recap: NBA Jan. 28/23

The New Orleans Pelicans continue to struggle at this point in the NBA season. They hosted the Washington Wizards on Saturday in what looked like a game that they might have been competitive in. The Wizards, who have hit some impressive form over the last few weeks, won the game in a contest that was not close at the final buzzer.

They put up a double-digit spread in the game, winning by 10 points. The final score was Washington 113, and New Orleans 103 as the Wizards picked up a road win.

Wizards @ Pelicans Saturday: CJ McCollum scores 24

With the loss, the Pelicans, who got 24 points from CJ McCollum, are now 26-24 overall on the season. Losers of seven straight, New Orleans continues to freefall without Zion Williamson in the lineup.

Brandon Ingram, their prize power forward, recently returned from injury. He had 22 points on Saturday however the losses are mounting for New Orleans. A strong start to the season will keep them in the playoff mix for a little while still but the Pels are a team with problems to solve. Williamson (pictured) won’t be back for at least another 10 days.

Washington Wizards: Recent Form Alert

• Washington Wizards were 11-20 (December 19th, 2022)
• Following Saturday’s game, they are 23-26

Meanwhile, the Wizards improved to 23-26 with the 10-point victory. This is a team that has gone 12-6 in their last 18 games and they are back in contention for a playoff spot.

They continued to play on Saturday without Kristaps Porzingis. Daniel Gafford has seen a recent uptick in minutes and he played well on Saturday with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Washington is now in 10th place in the east but there are teams ahead of them that are struggling. Namely, the Indiana Pacers are in a near freefall and Washington might hope to leapfrog them in the week ahead.

Further reading: NBA Power Rankings