Regular Season Game 27
Wizards (14-12) at Nets (10-15)
December 12, 2017 at 7:30 PM Barclays Center Brooklyn, New York TV: NBCSW+ Radio: 1500 AM
Odds: WSH -3.0
What to Watch:
Bradl3y B3al
BREAKING: Bradley Beal must continue to get buckets in order to keep the Wizards from losing to the Nets tonight. Now that we've made that clear...during John Wall's absence, Bradley Beal has five 20-point games, including a 51-point show in Portland last week. After scoring 85 points on 34-of-59 shooting in wins at Portland and Phoenix, Beal cooled off a bit in a loss to the Clippers on Saturday shooting 8 of 21, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range.
When you are quoted saying things like, "we've gotta learn how to put teams away," and, "we've gotta learn how to put our foot on the gas," and, "these are important games and games that we need to win and should have won", you can't go out and lose to the Brooklyn Nets two days later.
I expect 30+ from Beal tonight and rightfully so.
Key Matchup:
Wizards vs. Themselves
Kind of a cheat here but whatever. Tired of seeing Washington play down to the competition. Last season, Washington was 27-9 against teams with losing records. This year they already have losses to the Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and the Clippers.
If the team goals are 50 wins, a division title, or a top 3 placement in standings at the end of the year...these are the games you must win. With or without John Wall.
Statistically the two teams match up very similarly. Not to overly simplify this but tonight will boil down to defense and not allowing guys named Spencer Dinwiddie and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson or the new additions of Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas to become the story. The Wizards are the better team. Whether they play like that or not is what we'll write about tomorrow.
X-Factor:
The New Guys
Can't let the new guys beat you. Period. I wouldn't expect to see lots of minutes for either Okafor or Stauskas but the last thing you want to do is allow the new guys to get their home crowd excited and then have them translate that into a Wizards-killer like game. Stauskas can shoot from beyond the arc, although his 2017 stats don't necessarily indicate that, and Okafor is the type of big that Gortat has had a little bit of trouble with in the past.
Both former SIxers players should be motivated to show that they are more than just the BIzzaro versions of Embiid and J.J. Reddick and hopefully the WIzards won't be on the receiving end of their inspired play.
Fun Factor:
GTFORTAT
Marcin Gortat is two blocks away from tying Etan Thomas for 9th place on the Wizards all-time block list at 407.
Prediction:
Wizards win 121-107. After playing around with the Nets for the first two quarters the Wizards dominate the 2nd half and ride the hot hand of Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. down the stretch.