WASHINGTON — Wizards basketball is back at Capital One Arena.
Fresh off a 111-109 win over the New York Knicks in Thursday’s preseason opener, the Wizards return to COA at 7 p.m. Saturday for a tilt with the Detroit Pistons.
Brian Keefe said Alex Sarr (foot) will return Saturday for his first game action since March 27. Sarr had progressed to live drills and five-on-five work in recent days as he neared a return from offseason foot surgery, which kept him out of Thursday’s preseason opener.
“Excited to see Alex back out there,” Keefe said. “It's been a good rehab process for him. He's been super intentional about it. I'm excited to see him back on the court today.”
Tre Mann (general soreness), Tristan Vukcevic (hip impingement), Jamir Watkins (ACL tear) and Khris Middleton (ramp up) remain out. Keefe said Thursday that Middleton is nearing a return, possibly in one of the remaining preseason contests.
Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton played 17 minutes on Thursday before Keefe sat them for the second half. Expect similar minutes allocations tonight, with AJ Dybantsa and Kyshawn George possibly playing 20-25 minutes again.
Dybantsa’s defense shined in his four-steal debut at Madison Square Garden. He finished with 11 points on 5-11 FG but missed all three of his 3-point attempts.
“This is basketball. Go be yourself,” Keefe said he told Dybantsa before Thursday’s game. “There's a lot of work behind the scenes that he's doing to get prepared for these games. He's working with the coaches on game preparation, watching film. Those things are just going to speed up his learning. But some of it, you have to go through it, and that's going to be part of it with him. He’s going to have to go see all these guys and see them at different times of the year. That's that's how you grow in this league. And I know he's excited for that.”
Game information:
Opponent: Detroit Pistons
Tip-off: 7 p.m.
Location: Capital One Arena
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
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