Washington Wizards have won 8 straight for first time since they had Michael Jordan

The Washington Wizards lost on Monday night, but the winning streak they had was their longest winning streak in a long time.

The Washington Wizards lost to the San Antonio Spurs in overtime Monday night. But they have pushed themselves into the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference, spurred by an eight-game winning streak that ended with that narrow loss to the Spurs.

Led by the backcourt duo of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal, the Wizards are looking like a team no one wants to see in the playoffs. They never quite put it all together with the backcourt pairing of John Wall and Beal, but after a slow start, Washington has entered the race in a weak East.

A six-game stretch from May 5-12 that goes Pacers, Bucks, Raptors, Pacers, Hawks and Hawks, with the last five of those on the road, will be pivotal for the Wizards to maintain their spot in the play-in tournament.

The Wizards winning streak was their longest in a very long time

Before the recent streak, the last time the Wizards had won eight games in a row was during the 2001-02 season. That winning streak ultimately ended at nine. Who was their starting shooting guard that season (and the season after)? Some guy named Michael Jordan, who had returned from his second retirement at 38 years old to play for the team he was part owner and president of. A three-season hiatus was not an issue for MJ, as he averaged 22.9 points per game during that 20010-02 campaign. He then played all 82 games the following season, during which he turned 40.

Westbrook is on a historic run of triple-doubles in a calendar month this month, with his 12th triple-double in April against San Antonio. Alongside that, the Wizards’ eight-game winning streak is a momentum builder and the franchise’s best since they had the greatest of the all-time greats in the fold.