Alex Sarr gets ‘exciting’ All-Star weekend after win against Trail Blazers

ByNBAUSA


WASHINGTON, DC — It’s been a fun 48 hours for Washington Wizards, as three of their players participated in the Castrol Rising Stars Challenge for the second straight year on Monday before beating the Portland Trail Blazers 115-111 at Capital One Arena on Tuesday. A big man Alec Sarr confirmed his second honor with the Rising Stars by recording 29 points (11-29 FG, 3-9 3-point) with 12 rebounds, six blocks, three assists and two steals in 36 minutes.

Sarr told ClutchPoints his thoughts after the game about going to All-Star weekend again, this time alongside teammates Kyshaun George and Tre Johnson.

“Yes, it’s exciting to be able to go there again with two of my team-mates,” said the 20-year-old. “We’re going to have a good time, we’re going to have a good experience, so I’m excited to play the game.”

Sarr leads the NBA with 2.2 blocks per game and is one of four players under the age of 21 to ever average 17-plus points, 2.5-plus assists and two-plus blocks (Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber, Victor Wembanyama). The 2024 No. 2 overall pick also made history Tuesday as he became the seventh player 20 or younger to record 25-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus blocks in a game (Wembanyama, Weber, Myles Turner, Karl-Anthony Towns and Not Anthony Davis O’Anthony Davis). He is also the first Wizard to post that stat in a game since Javala McGee on March 27, 2011.

Donovan Clinganwho recorded 14 points (6-17 FG, 0-3 3-point) with 20 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 30 minutes. The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder was drafted No. 7 overall in 2024 and was also selected for the Rising Stars Challenge this year.

However, Washington’s other rising stars of 2026 also made an impact. George scored 19 points (5-16 FG, 4-10 3-pointer) with nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in 37 minutes, while Johnson scored 18 points (7-13 FG, 3-5 3-pointer) with four rebounds, two assists and one block in 32 minutes.

The “Wiz Kids” had even more contributions outside of the box score. For example, third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly and rookie guard Jameer Watkins suffocated all night on defense, and Watkins closed the game pressuring Trail Blazers guard Sheddon Sharp for a missed jumper with 9.7 seconds left.

Coach Brian Keefe spoke about the team growth in clutch situations postgame.

“We’ve been in a lot of these close games lately. And these are great lessons for us because the margins are thin and you want to be able to execute on both ends,” he said. “Tonight we had to execute to win the game, defensive things. They need to score, we get stops. We have four possessions, we talk about turnovers. Don’t foul, execute. Those little things are important. We always review those things, look at those things. But being in them is the best way to learn, and that’s the most important thing.”

Tre Johnson expresses gratitude as young Wizards shine

Washington Wizards guard Tre Johnson (12) shoots over Portland Trail Blazers center Young Hansen (16) during the second half at Capital One Arena.
© Daniel Cucin Jr. – Imagn Images

It’s one thing to be in a clutch situation, it’s another for the NBA’s youngest team to pull off and seal a close victory against a potential playoff team. Washington has played five straight games by 10 points or fewer after losing the previous five by 13-plus. Tuesday’s win was their first since trading veterans CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Atlanta Hawks for point guard Tree Young is January 7.

Sar’s defense is one of the main factors behind that growth, as Johnson explained after the game.

“It helps a lot, it allows us to press the ball, even across the pitch,” the 19-year-old said of Saro’s presence in defence. “Just knowing he’s down there, he can change the shot or draw the block. We just have to make sure we box out his man so he doesn’t get a rebound.”

Johnson also talked about being cast as a rising star.

“I’m excited, just for the experience and just being there, to be honest,” the former Texas Longhorn said. “It’s a blessing…”

Johnson, who is averaging 13.1 points on 44.7 percent shooting (39.8 percent from 3-point range) in 25.5 minutes, could become the first rookie in NBA history to finish with a “50/40/90” stat line, meaning 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep and 90 percent from the free throw line. The 6-foot-5, 190-pounder is currently shooting 88.3 percent from the charity stripe.

For now, Johnson and company must focus on continued growth as the Wizards play their final tanking season. These reps will help them produce next season and beyond, when the organization prioritizes winning over developing while at the bottom to increase draft lottery odds.

Next up for Washington are home games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and Friday.





2026-01-29 01:22:00

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