(Photo: Getty Images)
Regular Season Game 47
Wizards (26-20) at Mavericks (15-31)
January 22, 2018 at 8:30 PM American Airlines Center | Dallas, TX
TV: NBCSW Radio: 1500 AM
Odds: WSH -2.0
What to Watch:
Jekyll or Hyde?
This is a narrative that has us bloggers scratching our heads and has frustrated Wizards fans everywhere. Which Wizards team is going to show up? Will it be the one that showed up in last Wednesday’s lackluster performance? The one that got embarrassed by the same Mavericks team on their home court back in November? Or will it be the team that showed tremendous heart in Detroit on Friday night?
Despite their struggles against sub-.500 teams, the Wizards sit in a good spot in the Eastern Conference in fifth place. They’re just a game behind the Heat for fourth place and could leapfrog into third place if the Cavaliers continue to struggle, as the Wizards are just 1.5 games behind them. The defending Eastern Conference champs have had problems of their own and just got blown out on their home court by the Thunder.
Key Matchup:
Marcin Gortat vs. Dirk Nowitzki
The matchup to keep an eye on is the battle between two veteran bigs. The retirement talk of Dirk Nowitzki has been going on for quite a while as he’s in the midst of his 20th NBA season. While his numbers have dipped a bit, averaging 12.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, he’ll still have his nights where he’s reached double figures. In a loss to Portland on Saturday, Nowitzki finished with 21 points.
Gortat was held scoreless in the Wizards loss to the Hornets but put up 10 points in Friday’s win over the Pistons. In both contests, he was on the court for under 20 minutes despite usually averaging 27 minutes this season. Part of the equation from Friday was from Gortat sitting out the entire second quarter. I would expect a monster game from the Polish Machine if he gets off to a strong start and keeps Dirk in check.
X-Factor:
Kelly Oubre Jr.
One of the brightest spots of the roller coaster season thus far has been watching Oubre's growth and development as he continues to make his case as the waviest player in the NBA. Oubre scored a career-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting against Detroit. Throughout the season, the Wave Papi continues to outdo himself on a night-to-night basis. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Brooks place him in the starting lineup at some point.
Fun Factor:
Redemption Shot
Despite the Wizards struggles against sub-.500 teams, they’ve found redemption the second time they’ve faced the same team on a few occasions. The notable ones include home wins over the Lakers and Clippers and a road win in Phoenix. Most recently the third time was the charm when the Wizards defeated the Brooklyn Nets in overtime back on January 13 after dropping two tough road contests in Brooklyn a month ago. Point? It can be done.
Prediction:
My head tells me the Wizards will win when I factor out their struggles against sub-.500 teams. My heart tells me to be nervous. But my gut says they’ll pick up where they left off from Friday night and get a win.