Ace Bailey spoiled Trae Young’s Washington debut, pouring in a career-high 32 points as the Utah Jazz defeated the Washington Wizards 122–112 on Thursday night.
Bailey set the tone early, scoring 21 points in the first half and knocking down seven 3-pointers while surpassing his previous career high of 25. The rookie, selected fifth overall by Utah in last year’s draft — one spot before Washington’s pick — powered the Jazz offense and helped snap the team’s seven-game losing streak.
Young, who was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to Washington in January, finished with 12 points and six assists in 19 minutes while playing under a minutes restriction after recovering from knee and quadriceps injuries.
Juju Reese led Washington with 18 points and a dominant 20-rebound performance, but the Wizards dropped their seventh straight game. Reese, the brother of Angel Reese, signed a two-way contract with Washington last week and recorded the highest rebounding total by any rookie in the NBA this season. He also became the franchise’s first rookie to grab 20 rebounds in a game since Tom Gugliotta in 1993.
Despite the excitement surrounding Young’s return to the lineup, Washington struggled early and fell behind by 14 points after the first quarter. A missed breakaway dunk by rookie Tre Johnson in the second quarter halted a potential momentum shift. Young still produced several highlight moments, including a slick pass between a defender’s legs to set up a third-quarter layup by Anthony Gill, but the Wizards never fully closed the gap.
The loss kept Washington near the bottom of the standings. The Wizards entered the night with the NBA’s fourth-worst record, just 1½ games behind Utah, and could lose their first-round pick if it falls outside the top eight in the draft.
Up next: The Jazz travel to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, while the Wizards visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
