Washington

Wizards

Davis was nearly unstoppable in the opening half, connecting on 10-of-11 shots from the floor and all eight of his nine free-throw attempts to pour in a staggering 30 points. It was the highest-scoring first half by any player in the league this season, surpassing Victor Wembanyama’s 29-point outburst earlier this month. He accounted for more than half of Washington’s 58 first-half points in his return from a three-game absence due to a sprained ankle. Clearly, he’s feeling fine from a physical standpoint. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to power the Wizards to a win as they committed a staggering 18 turnovers in a losing effort.

Dybantsa continues to show flashes of immense fantasy potential, but it’s abundantly clear that he’s a work in progress while acclimating to everyday life at the highest level. The 19-year-old phenom’s most impressive bucket of the night came early in the second quarter when he shook John Collins with a fake eurostep before flying to the rim for a two-hand slam. He’s tallied at least 17 point in five of seven games since making his season debut back on October 28.

After a two-game absence, Davis is back in the Wizards’ lineup. Bilal Coulibaly, who started Saturday’s loss to the Thunder, is out with a hand injury, so Davis can fill that vacancy.

Added to the Wizards’ injury report Monday afternoon, Coulibaly is now out. His absence will likely expand the roles of Tre Johnson and Khris Middleton.

Coulibaly is dealing with left hand soreness, and he’s in danger of sitting out against Detroit. If Coulibaly is ultimately ruled out, Tre Johnson and Khris Middleton could handle expanded roles.

Ayton exited Saturday’s loss to the Thunder with a lower left leg injury. He’s good to go on Monday and could start if Anthony Davis (ankle) remains out. However, the Wizards brought Ayton off the bench on Saturday and started Bilal Coulibaly instead.

Davis has missed Washington’s last two games with a sprained ankle. Deandre Ayton will be available Monday after leaving Saturday’s loss to the Thunder with a lower left leg injury. He’ll take on a larger role if Davis remains out, even if he isn’t in the starting lineup.

There’s very little doubt that Dybantsa has an extremely bright fantasy future, but he’s probably going to experience the typical growing pains that even the most talented rookies endure. The spotlight was squarely on him in this one with Anthony Davis missing his second straight contest with a lingering ankle issue. The first-overall pick from last year’s draft is averaging 16 points through his first six games. The Wizards have a busy four-game week upcoming that features a pair of matchups against the Pistons in addition to the Pacers and Rockets.

Sarr got off to an incredible start with fellow big man Anthony Davis missing his second straight game with an ankle injury, notching a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards in the first half alone. He went just 1-for-5 in the second half and wound up playing just 10 minutes as the Thunder wound up pulling ahead by nearly 40 points. His 1-for-9 performance from three-point range stands out as part of an abysmal shooting performance by Washington as they finished just 7-of-43 (16 percent) from downtown and scored a season-low 75 points. The 21-year-old former first-rounder is averaging 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks through nine games this season. The Wizards have lost three straight games and have a four-game week upcoming that features a pair of matchups against the Pistons in addition to the Pacers and Rockets.

Ayton, who was seen grabbing his left calf with just over four minutes remaining before heading to the locker room, has been ruled out with a lower left leg injury. With Anthony Davis (ankle) already out, the Wizards will have to lean even more on Alex Sarr if Ayton misses time.