Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks look to rebound from an opening-night blowout loss when they host the Washington Wizards.

Washington’s core comprises four recent lottery picks — Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly — who have space to grow. A pair of respected veterans (CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton) will shepherd their development, too. Wins won’t come often, but rewards are still there to be claimed.

Charlotte was swept in the four-game series last year by Washington and also lost the final matchup of the 2023-24 season. The Hornets' last win over the Wizards came in November of 2023, when LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges combined to score 67 points. Historically speaking, though, the Hornets do hold a slight 71-65 edge.

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Jordan Poole spent the past two seasons with the Washington Wizards following his shocking trade from the Golden State Warriors.

One of the biggest struggles that NBA organizations face in the depths of a rebuild is keeping fan morale high. Obviously, fans want to see their team win more

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks enter 2025-26 with a retooled roster as they look to return to title contention, hosting the rebuilding Washington Wizards in their season opener on Wednesday night.

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET from Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, where the Wizards went 8-32 last season. Philadelphia is a 3.5-point favorite in the latest Wizards vs. 76ers odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 237.