17-59 and Desperate: Wizards and Nets Battle for the Worst Record in Basketball

This is what rock bottom looks like in the NBA. The Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets are about to clash on Sunday for the fourth and final time this season, and the stakes couldn't be lower or higher at the same time. Both teams are in absolute freefall, fighting for the worst record in the league and the best odds in the draft lottery. The Wizards sit at 17-60. The Nets are 18-59. The only other team in the conversation is the Indiana Pacers at 18-59. Whoever finishes lowest gets the most chances at a lottery pick that could actually change their franchise trajectory.

Washington's Defense Is Just Broken

The Wizards got torched at Miami on Saturday, dropping a 152-136 decision to the Heat. This is the brutal part: it was the second straight game and the third time in less than a month where Washington gave up 150 or more points. That's not a bad night. That's a pattern. That's a defense that has completely caved. Miami's Bam Adebayo didn't go off this time, but the Heat still led by as many as 35 points and shot a season-high 58.1% from the floor. Washington's offense kept them sort of in it, shooting 47.2% from the field with eight players scoring in double figures. Rookie Will Riley led the way with a career-high 31 points. Jaden Hardy added 19 points and made half of his 10 three-point attempts. But none of it mattered. When your defense is giving up 150 points, you're already losing.

Brooklyn's Housecleaning, and One Undrafted Guard Who Finally Caught a Break

The Nets lost 141-107 at home to the Hawks on Friday. It was bad. They had five turnovers on their first 14 possessions. Nic Claxton led six Nets in double figures with 16 points, but the offense was disorganized from the start. Coach Jordi Fernandez called it what it was: "Poor executing on our end. We just were not good enough."

But here's the move Brooklyn made that actually matters: they signed Malachi Smith to a multi-year contract on Saturday. Smith is a 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard who went undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023. He bounced around the G-League before landing on back-to-back 10-day deals with the Nets. On Friday against the Hawks, he scored 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 4-of-5 from three. So Brooklyn extended him. In his first 10 games with the Nets, Smith has averaged 7.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals in 18.2 minutes. "I'm someone that has been praying for this opportunity and working for this opportunity for years," Smith said. "So, I'm not going to take any minute for granted."

Both teams have five games left to play. Washington has three at home. Brooklyn's final two are on the road. This lottery positioning battle is far from over.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.