Wizards (34-21) at Sixers (21-35)
February 24, 2017 at 7:00 PM Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, PA TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic Radio: 1500 AM
Last time they met was..
January 14, 2017- Verizon Center, Washington DC: Wizards 109, Sixers 93
What to watch:
Break time is over.
The one constant we heard over the week-long All-Star break was how difficult the Wizards schedule was coming down the stretch. The good news is they have a chance to get the first one against an opponent the Wizards should for all purposes defeat handily.
What is more important will be to get the fun bunch back together after such a long layoff. Surely the players' bodies enjoyed the break but there is something to be said about the momentum Washington was playing with right up to and through the Pacers game. No Joel Embiid...this game should be no problem. Oh, and there is a guy by the name of Bojan Bogdanovic or Bobo or Bo, or Bogey (officially) depending on who you ask that needs to be incorporated into the Wizards chemistry. So there's kind of that.
Key Matchup:
Wall and Beal vs. Sixers.
Again, the only thing I'm focused on is getting everybody back into a nice rhythm. I doubt Bradley Beal was doing much of any shooting on vacation and everyone is looking forward to seeing the the House of Guards tandem get their groove back for this stretch run towards one of the top Eastern Conference playoff seeds.
X-Factor:
Bobo.
See, there was a reason I didn't talk about Bojan earlier. If ever there was a game, if ever there was a team that you could indoctrinate a new player into your system against in a non-practice environment, the Sixers are it. The Wizards would be smart to incorporate Bogdonovic early and allow him to get a little confidence playing alongside Wall and Beal. There is a reason the guy was smiling from ear to ear when he arrived and spoke to the media and I'm sure John Wall's ability to get guys paid has a little something to do with it.
Fun Factor:
Act 2.
I'm just excited to watch basketball again. A week off, even with Wall participating in NBA All Star weekend felt like an eternity. There's no more trade talk, no more breaks, just 27 games and the playoffs. It's about wins, chemistry, momentum and seeding.
Think of where this team was at the end of November. Look where they are now. If this style of Wizards basketball isn't fun enough for you then you're not watching enough games.
Prediction:
Wizards 117 - Sixers 103 - It stays close at the beginning but the Wizards pull away in the third quarter, led by John Wall's 17pts, 14ast and 3 steals. Bojan debuts with 14 points and 3 of 6 from three point range. Where do the points come from? Panda was hungry...Beal drops 28 points, 6 rebounds.
