On a festive night in Chicago, Wizards prove too green to compete

Also, Bulls legend Dennis Rodman was there for a special pregame acknowledgment that earned him a standing ovation. His hair, in what seems like a missed opportunity, was not green.

The Wizards were in no shape to join the festivities.

They lost, 127-98, to close out their four-game, seven-night road trip on a dour note and fell short of scoring 100 points for the sixth time this season.

By the end of the week, their injury report had swollen to include five names, not including the newly acquired Tristan Vukcevic, who appeared as a formality because he is not yet with the team. Starting forward Deni Avdija (knee), starting center Marvin Bagley III (back), starting point guard Tyus Jones (back), Isaiah Livers (hip) and Landry Shamet (calf) were all bench-bound, leaving a skeleton crew to contend with the Bulls.

That meant Jordan Poole got his first start in Jones’s place since he was moved to the bench Feb. 22 in Denver — he finished with 13 points and eight assists. It meant rookie Bilal Coulibaly had room to shine and was a highlight for Washington with 15 points and eight rebounds. He also spent time guarding DeMar DeRozan on defense.

“I think Bilal has really been growing. You can see it in each game,” interim coach Brian Keefe said. “Just his activity, eight rebounds, he got to the free throw line eight times, his cutting. I thought he did a pretty good job guarding DeMar DeRozan. I think that we’re seeing growth each game now that he’s been a starter.”

It also meant the Wizards (11-56) were so thoroughly overmatched early on that those green-clad fans witnessed some funky lineups. Chicago’s much larger big men thundered into the paint against a feeble defense to grab momentum. By the end of the first quarter, Kyle Kuzma was lined up alongside forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., center Eugene Omoruyi, point guard Jared Butler and guard Justin Champagnie.

What’s an odder sight than a bright-green Benny the Bull? The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Omoruyi having to fight for rebounds under the basket against 6-11, 279-pound Chicago center Andre Drummond.

The Wizards’ defense was woefully overtaxed from the start, Coulibaly’s positive moments aside, and the Bulls racked up a 21-point lead early in the second quarter.

Ayo Dosunmu led Chicago with a career-high 34 points after recovering from the pregame news, which caused a brief stir at United Center, that his friend, former Bears quarterback Justin Fields, had been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nikola Vucevic added 29 points and 13 rebounds.

Guard Corey Kispert again flourished as a part of the starting lineup after taking Avdija’s place.

Keefe said Avdija would be available to play in his pregame news conference Saturday, approximately 90 minutes before the start of the game — but just before tip-off, there was a change of plans. Avdija warmed up to see whether his body would be ready but instead missed his fourth game of the season with a right knee contusion after slipping and falling in the fourth quarter in Houston on Thursday.

Kispert was told just before tip-off he was being called up for his fourth straight start.

“I want to be a player that can play with anybody,” Kispert said. “Coach told me literally as the lights were going out that I was going to be starting tonight, so I’ve got to be light on my feet and take whatever role I can get. … I want to be somebody that anybody can play with.”

He led Washington with 16 points on 6-for-12 shooting, three rebounds, one assist, three blocks and three steals — and yes, that most certainly counted as flourishing, given the circumstances.

Unluckily for the Wizards, they have more green in their future and hardly any time at all to lick their wounds. They face the Boston Celtics at Capital One Arena on Sunday.