Wizards head coach Brian Keefe updates the status of forward Kyshawn George, who has missed five straight games
After riding a string of recent success after kicking off the 2026 slate with a 20-point win over Brooklyn at home, the Washington Wizards were humbled on Sunday evening following a 26-point loss at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Wizards trailed for all but four minutes as the Timberwolves stretched its lead to double digits midway through the second quarter, eventually holding onto at least a ten point advantage for the final 30 minutes and stretching the lead to as many as 37 points. Minnesota also outscored Washington, 35-21, in the third quarter.
While the Wizards showed signs of growth with wins in five of their last nine games to end 2025, Sunday proved there was still room to grow after Wizards center finished with just seven points and four rebounds in 26 minutes, struggling to contain Rudy Gobert who finished with 18 points, 14 points and four blocks in 29 minutes while shooting 80% from the field.
"We've been playing well here probably for the last 12 games, playing like a good stretch of basketball here. We didn't play to that way that we've been playing here in that stretch at all," head coach Brian Keefe said after the loss. "They started from the beginning of the game, just too comfortable with what they were doing offensively. I think they were 8-for-12 to start the game. We didn't have the necessary resistance and force that we've been having so our standard drop tonight wasn't acceptable."
While Washington got Corey Kispert back as he finished with 13 points in 18 minutes, one of four players to finish in double figures and the only non-starter, when the roster gets its young star back remains unclear.
Head coach Brian Keefe told reports pregame that George, who has missed five consecutive games due to what the team has ruled a hip injury, is doing some on-court work but a clear timeline to return remains uncertain.
Tre Johnson made his fifth consecutive start in George's absence after posting 13 points on 3-of-11 shooting in 27 minutes, his ninth consecutive game finishing in double figures.
"We didn't have great energy tonight. We didn't protect the basket. There was no real resistance. There's a lot of things that we did poorly tonight that.hasn't been consistently who we've been from a basketball standpoint. So I think it's watching the film and understanding that we took a step back tonight, but we can take two steps forward in our next game and there's a lot of games to be played back to back. We haven't been able to practice a lot. Those types of things impact performance sometimes. So we got to get back to the drawing board and get back to the basics [on Monday] and stack some more good days heading into four and five nights or whatever it is."
Washington is set to close out its three game homestand on Tuesday, Jan. 6 against the Orlando Magic. This marks the second meeting of the season against Orlando after the Magic handed the Wizards its fifth loss of the season following a 29-point loss back on Nov. 1.