The Washington Wizards hit the road on Friday night for a rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers knocking down the first of the team's two additional games added after being eliminated from the NBA Cup.
Washington entered this matchup against the odds with a laundry list of an injury report. Despite that, the Wizards seemingly took on the challenge against the 21-4 Cavs and made it a point of emphasis to leave it all on the floor.
After reports surfaced that the Wizards historically bad start was being addressed internally, the effort level seemed to flip when they returned to action after their mini break. Ultimately, Washington still fell short in a 115-105 loss, but the performance the team put on the court was much better than previous weeks.
That said, here's a look at the top performers from Friday night.
Bilal Coulibaly matches career-high
As the Wizards seemingly face struggles on a nightly basis throughout their rough start to the season, one of the team's biggest issues was there lack of an efficient and consistent scorer to lead them on a nightly basis. However, second-year man Bilal Coulibaly has continued to impress and he's taken on the challenge to become more of a two-way threat.
The French product finished the game with 27 points, six rebounds, five assists, while shooting 55.6% from field goal range (10/18 FG) and 62.5% from beyond the arc (62.5% 3PT). In addition, Coulibaly added two blocks on the opposite side of the court.
Matching his career-high in a night the team needed someone to step up could be a sign that the sophomore player could be ready to rise to the occasion as the season continues.
Wizards supporting cast showed up
In addition to Coulibaly efforts, the team git a solid outing from their supporting cast as well. The team got a solid performance from reigning No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr finished the game with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Another player that continues to impress is forward Justin Champagnie who has emerged as a viable option for the Wizards amidst their injury woes. The forward put together a 16 point, eight rebound outing while shooting 7/13 from FG range.
Although more is expected of Jordan Poole, the guard ended the night with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds in the loss.
The Wizards will be back in action on Sunday against the Boston Celtics.