Wizards testing young players as Bulls visit

The Washington Wizards, coming off a 95-90 road victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, have been spending a lot of time taking long looks at their younger players.

They will host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

Rookie forward Troy Brown Jr. scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Washington (32-46) rallied for the win over the Nuggets, who are battling Golden State for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Brown, a first-round pick in 2018, helped carry the Wizards on Sunday, something that delighted coach Scott Brooks.

"It was great to see Troy have a great game, make some shots," Brooks told reporters after the game. "A lot of work from Troy all year long; it's definitely showing."

Jabari Parker gave the Wizards some punch off of the bench. He scored 20 points and added six rebounds. Thomas Bryant continued his strong late-season play with a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds.

"Honestly, that game goes to Troy," Parker said. "He was the difference-maker. He made some big plays both on the offensive and the defensive end. If I were to give the ball to anybody, it would be to Troy."

Washington rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit and held Denver to only 28 points in the second half.

The Wizards have been getting plenty of good work from their younger players, which should give them a peek at the possibilities for next season. With star guard John Wall (ruptured Achilles tendon) out at least half of next season, Washington will have to make some decisions.

Those decisions will be made by somebody other than longtime Washington Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld, who was dismissed on Tuesday. Grunfeld, 63, was concluding his 16th season with the franchise.

"We did not meet our stated goals of qualifying for the playoffs this season and, despite playing with injuries to several key players, we have a culture of accountability and a responsibility of managing to positive outcomes," team chairman Ted Leonsis said in a statement.

"I wish to thank Ernie for his service to the Washington Wizards. He and his family have been great leaders in our community and have worked tirelessly to make us a top NBA franchise."

The Bulls are riddled with injuries and have lost five in a row to fall to 21-57. The team's high scorers missed Monday's 113-105 loss to the New York Knicks.

Zach Levine has missed six straight games, while Lauri Markkanen has missed three and has been shut down for the season. Otto Porter Jr. has been out for seven games, and Kris Dunn has been down for the past four contests. They are the team's top scorers, combining to average more than 70 points per game.

Levine and Porter have been ruled out of Wednesday's game. Dunn is doubtful.

That's why the Bulls have been playing with a lineup featuring mostly bench and minor league types in the final games. JaKarr Sampson, a 6-foot-9 forward who played with the Windy City Bulls this season and was their top scorer, posted 22 points in the loss to New York.

That was his first game with the Bulls. He had appeared in 169 other NBA games across three seasons for three teams.

"Just trying to fit in," he said on NBA.com.

"I didn't want to do too much early. Just try to feel the game out. My teammates got me the ball in the right position, slashing. Just coming in with the mindset I'm going to be aggressive and play my game, but also fit into the team concept."

--Field Level Media