Wizards Failure to Finish Late Continues in Road Loss

Heading into their most recent game against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons - on the road, no less - the Washington Wizards were down a starter and doubted by a double-digit tally. Even given the relatively recent rise of sophomore forward Alex Sarr at the dominant forefront, nobody within the national sphere of media wanted to give Washington a chance.

Against All Odds

At 1-9 prior to the bout, that made sense; all the same, with the aforementioned Sarr and his band of similarly young playmakers on the squad, anything can happen when they’re all “on”; and, for almost the entirety of the matchup, that would’ve been an understatement.

The Wizards led for a vast portion of the game, even without Bilal Coulibaly in the rotation, and seemed to be trending towards their second win of the season until the last second. Once overtime hit, already due to Washington’s inability to maintain a late lead, disaster struck. It’s a painfully familiar reality that has haunted Wizards fans for the entirety of this season, and, at least for now, the team doesn’t seem to be learning from their own mistakes.

Another seeming win yields yet another confusing, last-second loss. It’s the 2025-26 Wizards’ curse, and it will continue to define the team until they find a way to sustain their momentum to the final buzzer.