The Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets share similar struggles this season, although they will move forward with vastly different strategies.

While the Wizards are banking on the veteran pairing of Trae Young and Anthony Davis to guide them to new heights, the Nets forge ahead with far less star power as they are set to take plenty of cap space into the summer shopping season.

With new arrivals Young and Davis watching some of the Wizards’ younger players from the bench on Saturday afternoon, Washington will face Brooklyn, which has lost 10 of 11 games.

The Wizards were early into a nine-game losing streak when Young was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 9 for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum.

Since the skid ended, Washington has gone respectable 4-2 since Jan. 27 and posted its most impressive win this season, 126-117 over the first-place Detroit Pistons on the road Thursday. Young continued to sit out with a quad injury that will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.

Washington surpassed 120 points for the eighth time on Thursday, its 53.8% from the floor was its third best and 18 made 3-pointers were the second-most this season.

The showing on offense came after making a surprising move to acquire Davis from the Dallas Mavericks — a little over a year after the center was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers for Luka Doncic.

“We’re thrilled to have him,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “Obviously he’s a Hall of Fame player, top 75 all-time. To add him to our roster, it’s obviously exciting. We’re looking forward to integrating him. I think it’s a really great step for our organization that we’re all excited about.”

Davis is sidelined with a finger injury and likely will get re-evaluated in early March. The Wizards also acquired D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum in the deal. While Exum is out for the season, Hardy and Russell might be available Saturday.

The Wizards are hoping to see another balanced showing from its young group. Eight players reached double figures against the Pistons, including rookie Will Riley, whose career-high 20 points gave him 55 in the past three games.

The Nets split a pair of games at Washington earlier this season and their 119-99 loss on Jan. 2 is among six by at least 20 points during their current 3-18 slide. The latest was a 118-98 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday night.

That loss occurred after the Nets kept Michael Porter Jr. on the roster, made a pair of small trades and waived Cam Thomas and Tyrese Martin.

“I think that we were not connected at all throughout the whole game,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “I know our guys are willing to do the right things.

“When you’re always half a second late or not talking when you’re supposed to, all those things are, it’s really hard to win a game.”

The Nets trailed by as many as 26 points against the Magic, shot 41.5% and committed 19 turnovers. Rookie Egor Demin had another encouraging performance with a career-high 26 points and six 3-pointers, one shy of his career-best.

Demin and fellow rookie Nolan Traore combined for 47 points on 15 of 25 from the floor on a night when Porter and Noah Clowney were a combined 2 of 19.

Porter is 2 of 16 from 3-point range in his past two games while Clowney is shooting 34.5% while playing in six of 11 games since Jan. 16.

–Field Level Media

Kansas is playing its best basketball of the season and is doing it at just the right time.

Riding a season-best six-game winning streak, the No. 11 Jayhawks will hunt for more Saturday afternoon when they host Utah in Lawrence, Kan.

Kansas (17-5, 7-2 Big 12) solidified its third-place status in the conference with a 64-61 victory at No. 13 Texas Tech on Monday night during their marquee matchup with the Red Raiders. Each team entering the game sporting identical records and were looking to stay competitive with No. 7 Iowa State, No. 8 Houston and No. 1 Arizona at the top of the conference standings.

While Darryn Peterson provided the heroics for Kansas in the final 80 seconds with tying and go-ahead three-pointers, the Jayhawks put forth a strong team effort on defense in the big win.

Kansas’ defense held Texas Tech’s JT Toppin to 10 points while limiting him to 5 of 8 from the floor. Toppin entered as one of the conference’s top scorers at over 22 points per game and is averaging a double-double. Toppin also was limited to six rebounds.

The Jayhawks held the Red Raiders to 31.9% from the field and 30% from 3-point range. Even Texas Tech’s top scorer in the contest, LeJuan Watts, missed 14 of his 22 shots in his 19-point showing.

Jayhawks coach Bill Self appreciated the effort from Flory Bidunga, who notched 14 points and nine rebounds in the comeback victory.

“I think it was Flory,” Self said after his squad rallied from down nine points with six minutes left. “I mean, to me, there’s not a better defender, regardless of position, anywhere. He can guard one through five. He did a great job on Watts when he guarded him and Watts killed us, and he did a great job on JT, and he can switch and guard a guard.”

Bidunga has team-high 8.9 rebounds per game, while star freshman Peterson has scored 21.1 points in 12 games and Tre White has scored 14.5 points over all 22 games.

Saddled with a 1-9 record since Dec. 29, Utah (9-13, 1-8) is riding a four-game losing streak and has only beaten TCU in conference play. The Utes defeated the Horned Frogs 82-79 on Jan. 17.

In its most recent Wednesday, a 71-63 home defeat against Arizona State, the Utes were overwhelmed early as the Sun Devils led by 15 at halftime.

Utah’s top scorer, Terrence Brown (21.4 points), missed his first eight shots from the field and ended up with a season-low six points.

Entering the game fourth in the nation in scoring, Brown missed 14 of 16 shots from the floor including all four from distance. However, he did produce six assists and five rebounds.

Without the necessary talent to compete in the powerhouse conference, first-year coach Alex Jensen has been trying to lay the groundwork of a strong rebuild.

“I’ll give it to our guys, I think they’ve always bounced back,” Jensen said. “It’s being more consistent with the defense, like just the little things, the things you can control. And falling into shots instead of necessarily hunting them.”

Brown and Don McHenry (18.1 points) are having solid offensive seasons for the Utes, while Keanu Dawes averages 12.1 points and 9.0 boards.

–Field Level Media

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is not eligible to play for Puerto Rico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic due to his ongoing suspension for marijuana use, multiple media outlets reported on Friday.

Baez, 33, tested positive for the substance on March 12, 2023. The three-time All-Star received a two-year ban from World Baseball Softball Confederation events that began on April 26, 2024, and therefore it lasts until April 26, 2026.

The 2026 WBC runs from March 5-17.

Major League Baseball has permitted marijuana use since the 2020 season, therefore Baez will not face any discipline from the league or the Tigers.

Baez was an All-Star last season when he batted .257 with 12 homers and 57 RBIs in 126 games.

–Field Level Media