Mavericks (28-38) at Wizards (41-25)
March 15, 2017 at 7:00 PM Verizon Center | Washington, D.C. TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic Radio: 1500 AM
Last time they met was..
January 3, 2017 - American Airlines Center, Washington, DC: Mavericks 113, Wolves 105
What to watch:
After a five game road trip in which the Wizards took four of them, Washington is back home at Verizon Center. Their last home game, which came against the Magic, saw them come back from 17 down. Whatever worked in that game (I’ll give you a hint, both the starters and the bench clicked), the Wizards used three times on the road to come back from double-digit deficits. Now they’re back at the Phone Booth, in front of the hometown fans, where they’re 26-9 and have won 20 of the last 23 games.
Key Matchup:
Chief Keef vs. Dirk
How will Chief Keef fare against a future hall of famer? Despite being 38 years old and in the league for 19 seasons, Nowitzki still puts up a consistent 14.2 points per game and averages 6.8 total rebounds per game. Morris is just in front of him in scoring (14.3 points per game) and a tad bit behind him in total rebounds per game (6.7). It’s a fairly even matchup statistics wise and if Keef steps up against one of the GOATS of the league, it could be the difference.
X-Factor:
Otto becoming #Ottomatic.
Otto Porter’s emergence or turnaround, however you call it, has been one of many big stories for this team. His numbers have dipped shooting wise as he’s gone 30-of-52 from the floor over the last four games but all those games were on the road. Now he comes back to his home, and remember he’s one of those few people that can say he played his college and pro home games in the same building. He still leads the league in 3-point shooting at 45.3% and still reached double digits scoring in those four games. Expect a good amount of DC3’s from #22 tonight and a breakout game.
Fun Factor:
Playoffs start a month from today!
If you told me the Wizards would be just three games out of the top spot in the east this late in the season while they started the year out 2-8, I would’ve thought you were on something. The Wizards went on a 17-game home winning streak, got it snapped by the defending champs last month but even then it was still a good game and a confidence booster. Since then, they’ve been more consistent at home but now with seedings at stake, expect even more urgency than they’ve already shown.
Prediction:
Wizards are back home. The Wizards usually win at home and tonight will be no different.