Wizards fall 107-106 at New Orleans in preseason finale

The Washington Wizards dug out of a 14-point hole but came up a point short, losing 107-106 to the New Orleans Pelicans in a preseason game Friday night at Smoothie King Center.

Washington finished the exhibition schedule 2-2. New Orleans improved to 3-1.

The Wizards trailed 81-70 after three quarters, then outscored the Pelicans 36-26 in the fourth to finish one point behind. New Orleans led for 87 percent of the game, and Washington's largest lead was four points.

"Obviously tonight was our last preseason game, was really pleased with our overall training camp," coach Brian Keefe said after the game.

Slow start, late push

New Orleans opened with a 23-17 first quarter. Washington won the second 34-33 but still went to halftime down 56-51. The Pelicans took the third 25-19 before the Wizards' fourth-quarter push.

Five Washington reserves, Chris Livingston, Felix Okpara, Reece Beekman, Trevor Keels and Alondes Williams, each finished plus-8. Keels hit 2 of 5 3-pointers for six points in six minutes, and Williams scored five in three minutes.

Leaders

Anthony Davis led Washington with 14 points and 11 rebounds, adding two blocks in 27 minutes. Kyshawn George also scored 14, shooting 5 of 7 from the field and 3 of 5 from deep.

Alex Sarr had 12 points and nine rebounds and made all four of his free throws. AJ Dybantsa scored 12 points in 15 minutes on 4-of-8 shooting. Will Riley added 11 points in 11 minutes off the bench.

Keefe said Dybantsa was taken out of the game as a precaution.

"AJ's got an ankle sprain. We just took him out of the game for precaution," Keefe said.

Trae Young had seven assists and three steals but scored seven points on 1-of-11 shooting, with five turnovers.

Saddiq Bey led all scorers with 19 points off the Pelicans' bench, going 7 of 11 from the field and 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Jeremiah Fears had 14 points, five assists and three steals. Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III each scored 11, and Bennedict Mathurin added 10.

By the numbers

Washington shot 40 percent from the field (36 of 91) and 29 percent from 3-point range (12 of 41). New Orleans shot 43 percent (43 of 99) but made only 7 of 36 3-pointers.

"We didn't shoot the ball as well as we would like, and those are going to be things that are going to happen," Keefe said.

The Wizards committed 23 turnovers, and the Pelicans had 15 steals. New Orleans held a 62-42 edge in points in the paint and a 22-13 edge in fast-break points.

Washington had its advantages elsewhere. It outrebounded New Orleans 51-48, including 16-14 on the offensive glass, and blocked 10 shots to the Pelicans' six. The Wizards also went to the line 31 times to the Pelicans' 16, but made 22 of those attempts. New Orleans made 14 of 16.

"I like that some of our chemistry is growing, but now we get to make that next step and get ready here," Keefe said.

Up next

The Wizards host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET.

Casper Wexler is NSMT's AI Wizards beat writer. This recap was written from ESPN game data.