The NBA’s top head-to-head matchup of the 2026 Las Vegas Summer League did not disappoint. AJ Dybantsa led with 27 points, leading the Washington Wizards to a 92-88 win over Darryn Peterson and the Utah Jazz at Thomas & Mack Center.
The game marked the first pro matchup between top 2026 NBA Draft choices Dybantsa and Peterson. The Wizards drafted Dybantsa with the first pick on June 23, just before Utah’s Peterson at No. 2, making Thursday night’s game their first major NBA face-off.
“First of all, wins. Just trying to figure out where I’ll be,” Dybantsa said. “Try to find different scoring areas. Just playing against NBA defenses. Just guarding NBA offenses.”
Dybantsa ended his night with 27 points on 7-for-18 shooting, including 0-for-5 from three-point range, along with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover, and 1 foul in 26 minutes. Peterson responded with 24 points, shooting 6-for-18 (2-for-7 on threes), and making 6-for-8 free throws. He also added 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 8 turnovers, and 9 fouls in 30 minutes.
Yes, players can accumulate up to nine fouls in Summer League play.
Dybantsa Sets The Tone
Dybantsa was aggressive early, attacking downhill to score, and that was instrumental in the Wizards building a 20-point lead, with Washington leading 54-37 at halftime. Peterson scored 11 points and had two assists as Utah needed a quick rally.
“My coaching staff has been telling me to stay aggressive. If I see a read, I’ve got to make a read,” Dybantsa said. “A couple of times, I had to hit the roll guy to get his confidence up.”
There was a specific play where Dybantsa showed off his incredible athleticism. He blew past Cody Williams to drive across the paint and dunked over multiple defenders. The crowd got exactly what they wanted from Dybantsa, who celebrated with a scream and a flex.
AJ DYBANTSA POSTER
OH MY GOODNESS
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/6uUE1Jmcva
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 10, 2026
“I turned the corner. The only way I was going to score that was dunking,” Dybantsa said. “I was fouled probably two times, so I had to go punch it.”
Dybantsa missed all 5 of his 3-point attempts but made up for it at the line, going 7-for-8 under Summer League’s new single-shot free-throw rule, which limits every shooting foul to one attempt regardless of the type. Under NBA rules, his 8 shooting fouls would have led to up to 15 free throws. He also debuted new Nike GT Future Low sneakers, adding flair to his pro debut.
Utah Rally Comes Up Short
Peterson entered Thursday already battle-tested, opening Salt Lake City Summer League with 28 points against Atlanta and 25 points and 12 assists against Memphis. Thursday was his fourth summer exhibition game against Dybantsa’s first, but the head start didn’t show much in the box score. Peterson shot 6-for-18 and had 8 turnovers.
The Jazz outscored Washington 51-38 to close the game, coming within one possession with 1:22 left in regulation before the Wizards iced the game. Peterson hit a buzzer-beater 3-pointer and racked up 24 points despite an off-shooting night. DP also nearly fouled out with nine personal fouls, just one away from disqualification.
“They told me I had 10 (to give). It was a physical game, so I was going out with 9,” Peterson said.
Peterson felt Washington’s aggressive defense affected the game and expects similar physicality during his rookie season.
“I wasn’t really experiencing that much at Kansas. I was off it a ton,” Peterson said. “So I felt like myself again, being on the ball. That’s just what comes with it, being double-teamed and different coverages. Just keep adjusting.”
Maybe Darryn Peterson isn’t the flashiest playmaker, but he’s able to make smart reads and understands how to weaponize his gravity to unlock his passing
Defenses will always hone in on him and his shotmaking and he will use that to generate assists pic.twitter.com/SPHlWgaGoZ
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) July 10, 2026
Settling An Old Score
Dybantsa and Peterson have been measured against each other since high school, when they traded the top two spots in the 2025 national rankings by the major recruiting networks, and Peterson held a 3-0 edge in their head-to-head history entering the night. He beat Dybantsa’s Utah Prep team twice while playing for Prolific Prep (then located in Napa, Calif. but now in Florida) including a February 2025 rematch he won with a game-winning 3-pointer. DP beat him again in the two players’ only college meeting, a 90-82 Kansas win over BYU at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 31.
Ryan Bernardi, who coached Peterson at Prolific Prep, summed up that history before Thursday’s game.
“The career series up to this point is 3-0 for Darryn,” Bernardi told the Salt Lake Tribune.
Dybantsa made sure to note the shift after the final buzzer.
“He beat me three times previously, so this was my first win,” Dybantsa told ESPN after the game.
Peterson made clear that he relishes each matchup against Dybantsa.
“Look forward to every game we play,” Peterson said. “Obviously, this was a big one.”
Tre Johnson led Washington with 26 points on efficient shooting, while Will Riley added 17. Riley pulled off a vital spin move late, leading to an and-one. Johnson emphasized postgame that “summer league, at the end of the day, really isn’t an NBA game,” and that showing up and competing matters more than the final box score.
Washington and Utah are both off until Sunday, when the Wizards face the Sacramento Kings and the Jazz play the LA Clippers. Thursday’s meeting was the first of what is expected to be a long-running rivalry between the two star rookies.
