The Washington Wizards entered their regular season finale with the nod over the Utah Jazz in the race for the league-worst record in the NBA.
Entering Sunday's matchup, Washington had already clinched the top odds along with the Jazz and the Charlotte Hornets to earn the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery. As a result, Brian Keefe's squad left it all on the floor in South Florida, knocking off the Miami Heat in the final game of the regular season 119-118.
Down the stretch, rookie Bub Carrington put his clutch ability on full display by draining a buzzer-beater with 0.1 second on the clock to give Washington the win, capping off his 15 point, 9 assists and 7 rebound performance.
With a 14% chance for the No. 1 overall pick already locked in, the Wizards truly had nothing to lose.
Although the Pittsburgh product's massive shot gave the Jazz a window to clinch the league-worst record in the NBA with a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, there's more to be encouraged about in the Wizards win then there is to be disappointed in.
Furthermore, the performance that these two players put up on Sunday is exactly what fans needed to see heading into a huge offseason.
Justin Champagnie & Tristan Vukcevic shine in finale
Justin Champagnie has shined down the stretch for the Wizards as he continues to impress heading into the offseason. Looking more and more like a hidden gem that Washington's front office found, the versatile forward only added to the excitement about his future role with a big-time performance in the win over Miami.
The 23-year-oldfinished the game with 27 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, while adding on 2 blocks and a steal on the other end of the floor. Shooting 11/16 from field goal range and knocking down 5 threes, Champagnie has continued to raise eyebrows ahead of Washington's pivotal offseason.
While Champagnie was impressive on Sunday, he wasn't even the Wizards best player on the floor.
That award goes to former second-round pick Tristan Vukcevic who put on an absolute show in the team's finale.
The 7-footer dominated off the bench for Washington with a team-high 28 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, while shooting 9/12 from field goal range and 4/6 from beyond the arc.
Even though the Wizards might lose the lead in the league-worst record race to the Jazz, spotting potential in young players who could be part of the long-term rebuild is already a victory.
Looking ahead, Washington ends the season with a record of 18-64, and now, the team heads into an offseason that could truly alter their franchise and the state of their rebuild moving forward.