WASHINGTON, D.C. — It's been a fun 48 hours for the Washington Wizards, as three of their players made the Castrol Rising Stars Challenge for the second straight year on Monday before they beat the Portland Trail Blazers 115-111 at Capital One Arena on Tuesday. Big man Alex Sarr validated his second Rising Stars nod by notching 29 points (11-29 FG, 3-9 3-point) with 12 rebounds, six blocks, three assists, and two steals over 36 minutes.
Sarr told ClutchPoints his thoughts postgame about heading to All-Star Weekend again, this time alongside teammates Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson.
Alex Sarr on being selected as a Rising Star again, this time alongside Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson (thread):
“Yeah, it’s exciting that I get to go there with two of my teammates again. We’re gonna have a good time, good experience, so I’m excited to play the game.” pic.twitter.com/8gbHlDYHe0
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) January 28, 2026
“Yeah, it’s exciting that I get to go there with two of my teammates again,” the 20-year-old said. “We’re gonna have a good time, 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 below 21 years old 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 on Tuesday, as he became the seventh player aged 20 or younger to notch 25-plus points, 10-plus rebounds, and five-plus blocks in a game (Wembanyama, Webber, Myles Turner, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis, and Shaquille O'Neal). He is also the first Wizard to post that stat line in a game since Javale McGee on Mar. 27, 2011.
Sarr outdueled Trail Blazers big man Donovan Clingan, who logged 14 points (6-17 FG, 0-3 3-point) with 20 rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal over 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 2026 Rising Stars also made an impact. George notched 19 points (5-16 FG, 4-10 3-point) with nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks across 37 minutes, while Johnson tallied 18 points (7-13 FG, 3-5 3-point) with four rebounds, two assists, and one block over 32 minutes.
The “Wiz Kids” had even more contributions beyond the box score. For example, third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly and rookie guard Jamir Watkins were suffocating all night defensively, and Watkins closed the game out by pressuring Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe on a missed jumpshot with 9.7 seconds left.
Biggest possession of the game, Blazers have a chance to tie.
Jamir Watkins with textbook defense on Shaedon Sharpe. This is why he's here. pic.twitter.com/xi5moIXsXq
— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) January 28, 2026
Head coach Brian Keefe spoke about the team's growth in clutch-time 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 wanna be able to execute on both ends,” he said. “Tonight, we had to execute to win the game, defensive things. They have a need to score, we get the stop. We’re up four, we talk about switching. Not fouling, execute that. Those little things matter. We always review those things, we look at those things. But to be 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) takes a shot over Portland Trail Blazers center Yang Hansen (16) during the second half at Capital One Arena.
© Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
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It's one thing to be in clutch-time situations, and it's another for the NBA's youngest squad to execute and seal a close victory against a potential playoff team. Washington has played five straight games decided by 10 points or less 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 star guard Trae Young on Jan. 7.
Sarr's defense is one of the main factors behind that growth, as Johnson explained postgame.
Tre Johnson on Alex Sarr’s impact (thread):
“It helps a lot, allows us to pressure the ball, even fullcourt. Just knowing he’s down there, he can alter the shot or get the block. We just gotta make sure we box out his man so he doesn’t get the rebound.” pic.twitter.com/VVc5o6mVRe
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) January 28, 2026
“It helps a lot, allows us to pressure the ball, even full-court,” the 19-year-old said about Sarr's defensive presence. “Just knowing he’s down there, he can alter the shot or get the block. We just gotta make sure we box out his man so he doesn’t get the rebound.”
Johnson also opened up about being selected as a Rising Star.
“Excited, just for the experience and to be out 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 3-point) over 25.5 minutes, could become the first rookie in NBA history to finish with the “50/40/90” statline, which means a 50 percent field goal clip, 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 out their last tanking season. These reps will help them produce next season and beyond, when the organization prioritizes winning instead of developing while bottoming out to increase draft lottery odds.
Up next for Washington are home games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and Friday, respectively.