Washington Wizards Upset Bucks, Chase First Win Streak in Philly: Injuries, Rotation Tweaks, and What’s Changed

The Washington Wizards finally have momentum. Fresh off a 129–126 comeback over Milwaukee—a game that flipped a 16-point hole into the team’s loudest win of the season—Washington heads to Philadelphia tonight seeking its first two-game win streak of 2025–26. For a roster that dropped 15 of its first 16, the past week has looked and felt different: crisper late-game execution, a steadier whistle-to-horn plan, and role clarity around a shorthanded rotation.

How the Wizards beat Milwaukee—and why it matters

Washington didn’t luck into the upset. They won in the margins:

• Shot diet and pace: Fewer empty early-clock heaves, more paint touches and drive-kick threes. When the Bucks loaded to the ball, Washington flattened the defense with slot cuts and 45-degree dives.

• Turnover control: The season’s chronic live-ball giveaways dropped, keeping Giannis and the Bucks out of runway transition.

• Defensive possessions finished: One-and-done trips—helped by guards cracking back to box out—prevented the second-chance cascades that have buried the Wizards all year.

Just as important, the group closed. Where fourth quarters had spiraled into rushed threes and isolation, Washington leaned on two-man actions to manufacture clean looks, then trusted its defense to make one last stand. It was deliberate basketball, not reactive.

Injury report reshapes the depth chart

The win came while short-handed, and that remains the story entering Philadelphia:

• Alex Sarr (adductor) — out. The rookie rim presence and connective passer remains sidelined, removing a lob threat and a shot-alterer.

• Corey Kispert (fractured right thumb) — out. Washington loses a gravity piece who stretches help defenders a step farther than most.

• Tre Johnson (hip flexor) — out. The rookie scorer’s on-ball creation is on pause.

• Sharife Cooper (calf) — out. Depth ball-handling remains thin.

• Kyshawn George (toe) — questionable. A swing decision; his size on the wing helps lineups toggle between switching and drop.

• Khris Middleton — out. The former Buck, acquired last season, remains inactive as he ramps, delaying the big on-ball/late-clock stabilizer Washington envisioned.

The absences have forced cleaner roles. Wings are screening more to trigger switches, bigs are sprinting into early drag screens rather than hunting post touches, and the bench is trimmed to combinations that protect the paint without surrendering corner threes.

Rotation trends to watch vs. 76ers

• Guard rails: With creators limited, Washington is leaning on quick-hitter sets—Chicago actions, Spain pick-and-roll, and wedge entries—so possessions start with an advantage.

• Small, but not soft: Expect stretches of switch-heavy lineups to gum up Philadelphia’s second unit, with a weak-side peel switch ready for straight-line drives.

• Corner discipline: The 76ers punish late tags and ball-watching. Washington’s weak-side defender must stunt and recover on time; that was a quiet win against Milwaukee.

The statistical needle is moving

Even before the Bucks upset, the Wizards had won two of three, bracketing a blowout loss in Indiana with comfortable home wins. Inside the mini-run:

• Turnover rate has dipped from bottom-five territory toward league average.

• Opponent second-chance points are down as guards rebound collectively.

• Free-throw differential has narrowed—fewer reach-ins and late-clock bails.

None of that makes Washington a finished product, but it establishes a floor. When you don’t gift 8–10 points in live-ball mistakes and you rebound your position, close games stay winnable into the final two minutes.

What a win in Philadelphia would signal

1. Process travel: Doing the simple things—compete on the glass, keep the ball—outside Capital One Arena.

2. Late-game poise on the road: Washington’s clutch profile has been defined by hurried looks. Replicating the Milwaukee calm is the next step.

3. Defensive stickiness without Sarr: If the rim holds up and corner threes are contested, the scheme is real, not opponent-dependent.

Big-picture: the rebuild timeline, reset

This season was never about chasing the middle; it’s about identifying keepers and building habits that scale when the talent base deepens. The past week checked boxes in both lanes:

• Player development under stress: Young pieces defended without fouling and executed roles that win in April, not just December.

• Coaching levers that translate: A tighter nine-man cadence, pre-planned ATO packages, and opponent-specific coverages that change by quarter.

The standings still glare, but the process trend is finally pointed in the right direction. Upset a contender, compete on the road, then stack something resembling normalcy—those are the steps.

Tonight’s checklist for the Wizards

• Win the defensive glass and cap drives at the dotted line.

• Keep turnovers under 13; no live-ball giveaways above the break.

• Generate 20+ paint points in the first half to force defensive collapses and open the corners.

• Close quarters with organized two-for-one decisions—no empty early jacks.

If Washington can bottle the Milwaukee blueprint and apply it in Philadelphia, the first streak of the season is in reach—and the conversation around this team starts to shift from survival to structure.