The Washington Wizards returned to action on Sunday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. Just a day after ending their double digit losing streak to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, the Wizards couldn't build on the momentum to start a winning streak of their own.
Washington fell to the Grizzlies 140-112 on their on home court despite Memphis missing two of their top players in Ja Morant and Desmond Bane. While Washington was battling injury woes of their own, the team still fell short despite having the home crowd behind them.
Nonetheless, like we typically do win or lose, here's a recap of the top performers in the team's lackluster performance against the Grizzlies.
Marvin Bagley III shines again
A couple of games ago against the Mavericks, former lottery pick Marvin Bagley III put together a strong outing in a spot start for the Wizards as they dealt with injuries. On Sunday, the Duke alum got the chance to add onto his previous 16-point performance and he delivered with his opportunity,
Bagley finished the game against the Grizzlies as one of the team's few bright spots with 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three blocks. The 6-foot-10 power forward put together an efficient shooting night knocking down 60% of his field goal attempts (9/15 FG) in the loss.
If he can continue stacking performances like he has over the last week, it will be hard for first-year head coach Brian Keefe to keep him out of the lineup.
Bilal Coulibaly find offensive rhythm again
Prior to last night's game against the Grizzlies, Bilal Coulibaly has been struggling on the offensive end after putting together a strong start to the season. Fortunately, he second-year man seemingly broke his struggles versus Memphis.
Coulibaly ended the matchup with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, while shooting 46.2% from field goal range (6/13 FG).
Jonas Valanciunas continues to increase trade value
As a result of the Wizards recent injuries, big man Jonas Valanciunas has found his way into the team's starting lineup. In the games he's started, the 32-year-old has shown that he has plenty to offer contending teams that may be interested in his services.
The former No. 5 overall pick put together a 20 point outing against the Grizzlies adding on 14 rebounds and two assists to his stat line. As a two-way big man, his value on the trade market continues to rise as teams with a need in the front court monitor his availability.