Regular Season Game 25
Wizards (13-11) at Suns (9-17)
December 7, 2017 at 9:00 PM Talking Stick Resort Arena| Phoenix, AZ TV: NBCSW Radio: 1500 AM
Odds: WSH -7.5
What to Watch: Encore, Brad! Encore!
With Phoenix coming home from their road trip, the Wizards will come into Phoenix with a Suns team that will play without one of its star players in Devin Booker, who was lost to injury and will be out for two to three weeks. The Wizards on the other hand, are coming off of a win against the Portland Trail Blazers in which Bradley Beal looked like he wanted more Thanksgiving food because he went HAM. Look for the Suns to generate a lot of energy from their home crowd and provide a tough challenge against the Wizards, who are still going to be without John Wall and will need others such as Tim Frazier and Tomas Satoransky to contribute to the main core.
Key Matchup:
Otto Porter Jr. and Kelly Oubre Jr. vs. T.J. Warren
With Booker out, the Suns will heavily rely on Warren who is averaging 18.4 points and 5.7 rebounds a game. He dropped 40 in Washington and will go up against the Wizards’ small forwards of Porter and Oubre. Look for Porter and Oubre to defend Warren and treat Warren as a star since he will get the majority of the touches in the Suns offense. At the same time, look for Otto and Kelly to go at Warren so that he plays on both ends.
X-Factor:
Jodie Meeks
Meeks is one I consider to be an X-factor for every Wizards game this season. Meeks, a three point sniper and one of the best pure shooters in the game today, provides that spark off the bench. If Meeks provides quality minutes and contributes his 7.5 points per game every night, it will help bring support to the starting cast.
Fun Factor:
I'm Coming Home (Again)
Markieff Morris was drafted 13th overall by Phoenix in the 2011 NBA Draft. There is always that motivation to play for the team that drafted you and proving to them why they should have kept you. Although there might be feelings of nostalgia every time he returns to Phoenix, that also provides an extra fire of motivation. Look for Keef to be a big factor against his former team that betrayed his and his brother's trust and be the high scoring man for the game.
Prediction:
Coming off of a solid win against the Portland Trail Blazers and with the Suns not having one of their main scorers in Booker, the Wizards should coast to a victory and win their second game in a row. Look for Bradley Beal to continue his dominance on the court - one can dream of a repeat performance, but I’m sure that he’ll provide his fair share.