Monday was not the best day to be a Washington, D.C. sports fan.
The city got bad news after bad news Monday night as three of its professional teams got dealt a bad hand and suffered major losses.
It started just after 7 p.m. ET in the NBA draft lottery. It was another painful season for Wizards fans after they went 18-64 during the 2024-25 season, just a slight improvement from the 15-win season before. With the second-worst record in the NBA, it was with the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets for the best odds to get the top pick in the draft. Get the first overall pick, and the Wizards could select Cooper Flagg and change the course of its franchise.
That didn’t happen. The Wizards were guaranteed a top six pick, and they ended up with the sixth selection in the 2025 draft. The worst possible outcome coming to fruition as the Dallas Mavericks won the Flagg sweepstakes.
A few hours later, the Nationals pulled off a ninth inning comeback on the road against the Atlanta Braves to tie it 3-3. But in the bottom of the ninth, Alex Verdugo hit a RBI single to bring in Eli White and walk it off for the Braves. Now the Nationals are 17-25 and on a six-game losing streak.
The Nationals’ loss came as the Carolina Hurricanes were putting the finished touches on a 5-2 win over the Capitals in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Carolina now has a commanding 3-1 lead over the top seed in the conference, putting the Capitals’ stellar season on the brink of ending.
A day to forget in the nation’s capital.
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