Regular Season Game 36
Wizards (19-16) at Rockets (25-8)
December 29, 2017 at 7:00 PM The Vault | Washington, DC
TV: NBCSW, NBATV Radio: 1500 AM
Odds: WSH +2
What to Watch:
Which Wizards team will show?
The second best team in the Western Conference is in town tonight so naturally everyone is under the assumption that the Dr. Jekyll Wizards will show up to defend their home court and not the Mr. Hyde version. The Rockets are coming off of a tough loss last night to the Celtics while the Wizards are coming off a head scratching loss to the lowly Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. How this team continues to win games against very good teams and lose the way they do (ugly) to the very bad teams is wearing thin on the fans, coaches and players. That being said...the stakes are high, the star power is on, and if Washington isn't careful this could get ugly. The Rockets shoot the 3pt shot as if the NBA has threatened to remove it in the New Year and the Wizards historically don't guard the perimeter well. So which will it be?
Key Matchup:
Wizards vs. James Harden
The league's leading scorer is visiting The Vault tonight and if the Wizards guards don't strap him up from start to finish he's going to end up stealing a lot of money tonight. John Wall, Bradley Beal, Otto Porter Jr., and Kelly Oubre Jr. will all likely get cracks at the MVP candidate at some point tonight. If Houston is without Chris Paul, Washington needs to sell out to limit Harden as much as possible.
X-Factor:
Jason Smith
With Mike Scott staying beyond in Atlanta to welcome the birth of his second child, a girl, Jason Smith would likely get the nod from Scott Brooks as the backup power forward in the all bench lineup. Smith has struggled immensely with his jump shot this season, as ahe did to begin last season, but a spark off the bench is exactly what Washington could use against one of the best teams in the NBA.
Fun Factor:
Three-Pointers Galore
The Houston Rockets have shot 1,416 three-pointers though 33 games this season, which is astronomically ahead of the rest of the NBA. Scott Brooks wants his team to shoot 30 a game, which they rarely get to, but Mike D'Antoni probably would not mind his team shooting 60 three-pointers a game. The Rockets are going to let it fly to the moon and back tonight and it will be a spectacle to watch as the NBA transitions to its next age.
Prediction:
Team with a winning record is in town so naturally...the Wizards lose. Sorry to break the trend but I'm going to double down on a prediction and say they lose to the better team and beat the lesser team on Sunday against the Bulls. My rationale is simple. The Rockets shoot that 3 ball too damn much and the Wizards don't guard it well enough. Harden will have all the Rockets/Harden fans oooing and awwwing, Wall and Beal will put a fight but at the end of the day the team with the most points will win and that won't be Washington tonight.
NOTE: I've been wrong about every prediction this year so take all of this with a grain of salt.