Washington Wizards

Unable to decipher whether the Washington Wizards had taken one step forward or two following their win on April 2, 2024, Corey Kispert, at the very least, could confirm one thing: the Milwaukee Bucks’ travel back home wouldn’t be one worth celebrating. Dressed in their trademark home whites with a “spoiler” label somewhere underneath, the youthful Wizards provided a powerful tug to the upcoming postseason picture, working a brilliant inside-the-arc performance during an upset of the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. Even with wounds of their own with Kyle Kuzma missing, Washington, like sharks out for blood, sensed weaknesses in Milwaukee’s approach without their eight-time All-Star floor general. For nearly the entire game, they held control before staving off the Bucks’ final valiant effort. Serving as the night’s star, Kispert recorded a 27-point, seven-rebound outing with Deni Avdija (23 points, eight rebounds, five assists) and Jordan Poole (16 points and a career-high 13 assists) moonlighting in the lead dog role. Layup line-like in their ability to get to the rim, Washington went 69.1 percent from 2-point range, routinely barreling through the Bucks for one of their season’s marquee victories.