On Friday, the Washington Wizards took on the Charlotte Hornets at the Capital One Arena, capturing their first win since January 29th. The 112-100 victory took strong effort in the closing moments as the team poured in 44 fourth-quarter points.
The Wizards scored 44 points in the fourth quarter tonight. That's their highest point total in any quarter this season.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) March 9, 2024
Six Wizards players ended the night scoring in double-digits, paced by Kyle Kuzma, who scored 28 points despite shooting 0-of-7 from three-point range. Washington's 6'9" forward racked up 14 points in the final frame, accompanied by the scoring of Deni Avdija and Richaun Holmes. Together, the trio overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and snapped the Wizards' 16-game losing streak.
What sparked the Wizards' comeback victory?
In his press conference following the game, Kuzma was asked what coming away with the win and snapping the month-long losing streak meant to him.
Kyle Kuzma on the Wizards snapping their losing streak:
— Chase Hughes (@chasedcsports) March 9, 2024
“We had some good tension in the locker room [at halftime], guys kind of going back and forth at each other. I think that really sparked us and we came together as a team tonight.” pic.twitter.com/QME1ccAwVP
Kuzma seemed relieved to have the losing streak finally broken, citing tension in the locker room at halftime as reason for the team's camaraderie. Some Wizards players were going at one another during the break, which created a level of tension the team needed to successfully overcome a late-game deficit and close out their first win since January.
The quote led some Wizards fans to speculate on who may have been involved in the "good tension" Kuzma mentioned during the press conference. As the longest-tenured player in the District, Avdija was seen as a solid guess from fans on social media.
Judging by his body language early in the 4th quarter, I’d be willing to bet my house that Deni — a guy who is not only an emotional competitor, but the longest tenured player on the team — was one of the guys behind that “good tension” in the locker room Kuzma mentioned here. https://t.co/cBNhSm4GAs pic.twitter.com/hPBmOSqnYz
— Will Clayton (@WillCIayton) March 9, 2024
Alongside Kuzma and Avdija, third-year forward Corey Kispert was passionate about the win while speaking to the media postgame. Kispert finished the night with 13 of the Wizards' 34 bench points, shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Now sitting at 10-53 on the season, the Wizards will travel to South Beach to face the Miami Heat on Sunday. The clash with Miami will be the first of four road games for Washington, visiting Memphis, Houston, and Chicago in the days after.
If the Wizards hope to continue winning during this road trip, the team must find a way to recapture the locker room tension Kuzma spoke about on Friday night.