October 17, 2026 at 3:25 PM UTC

Postgame Report

Pelicans Hold Off Wizards 107-106 in Preseason Finale

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New Orleans survived a late Washington push to win the preseason finale for both teams, one week-ish of tune-ups ending on a one-point margin.

NEW ORLEANS — The last exhibition on the calendar for both clubs came down to a single point Friday night, with the Pelicans holding off the Wizards 107-106 at home. It was Washington's fourth and final preseason game, played in New Orleans with the regular season just around the corner, and the Wizards spent the fourth quarter closing on a lead they could not quite take.

Washington came in at 2-1 this preseason, its lone loss a 131-122 decision against Brooklyn, and it had reason to feel decent about where things stood. A comeback that fell short is not the way a team wants to hand over its last tune-up, but the Wizards got a long look at how they play when the game tightens, which is not nothing in October.

Rookie AJ Dybantsa has been a large part of that optimism. He has shown the offensive tools to score in this league, and his passing has drawn more praise than the scouting reports ever promised, along with some credit for his defense. He is a central piece of what Washington hopes to be, and the finale was another chance to see him in the middle of it.

The Pelicans, for their part, are still in a transitional stretch, working through new systems and sorting out how the pieces fit. A one-point win in a game like this proves little, but it gave them a final look before the games count. There was also a familiar face on the other side: Anthony Davis, the former Pelicans star, was back in the building in a Wizards uniform.

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