The wizard have lost eight games in a row and their last two games have been particularly ugly. They were outscored by Detroit and New York by a total of 48 points.
Head coach Brian Keefe took responsibility for the poor performance.
“I am the leader of this team. I am the head coach of this team,” Keefe said, per Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. “So I take responsibility for the last two nights and not reaching the level of competitiveness we should have been playing with, especially on defense. This will be addressed as a group and we will get better. But that wasn’t … our aspiration, and we have to acknowledge that and we have to look at ourselves and get better.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Hawks forward Jalen Johnson Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes that it is questionable whether she will be able to play against Golden State on Wednesday due to inflammation of the left lateral leg Tweets. Johnson missed the Hawks' win in Sacramento on Monday. He is averaging 19.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists this season.
- magic center Wendell Carter Jr. is listed as questionable for the team's road game against the Clippers on Wednesday, reporter Dan Savage suggested Tweets. Carter, who signed a three-year contract extension last month, has not played since Nov. 3 due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
- heat forward Jimmy Butler missed four straight games with a right ankle sprain. He was dominant in his comeback against Philadelphia on Monday, scoring 30 points along with 10 rebounds and five assists. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. “We know what the expectations are when he’s healthy.” Heat trainer Erik Spoelstra said. “…He really set the tone by imposing his physical will on the game.” For Butler, the problem was staying on the field. He has missed 20 or more regular-season games in three of the last four seasons, making the front office hesitant to talk to him about an extension.