Wiz of Awes
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Washington Wizards: Wizards host Knicks with the postseason rapidly approaching

By Donnell Coley

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 14: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball against the New York Knicks on February 14, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 14: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball against the New York Knicks on February 14, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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With just 10 games left in the regular season, the Washington Wizards look to rebound against the struggling New York Knicks on Sunday.

It’s late March. Just in case you’ve been swept away by the madness that is postseason college hoops and haven’t been following the Washington Wizards as closely, here’s the rundown.

Including Sunday’s season-series finale against the New York Knicks, Washington has 10 games remaining on their schedule. They’ve lost two straight (six of their last 10). They sit at the sixth position in the Eastern Conference and are two games back from the fourth spot.

A beacon of light shines ever so slightly through it all as starting point guard John Wall is nearing a comeback from a two-month hiatus. Wall won’t be active against the Knicks, but the Wizards need to find a way to get the win if they have any shot at a top-four seed.

Here’s what to watch for on Sunday.

Shake It Off

Washington had a prime opportunity to stay ahead of the pack chasing the fourth seed but fell to the Denver Nuggets on Friday. The loss featured the same bad habits that have resulted in their mediocre record against middling teams. The Knicks have a 26-47 record and are already eliminated from the playoffs. The Wizards have to shake off the Nuggets loss and focus on beating a team playing the role of spoiler.

Control the Paint

Though the Knicks aren’t a good team, they excel in getting easy points. They rank seventh in the NBA in points in the paint which is a bugaboo for the Wizards defense this season. Washington doesn’t have a viable rim protector, so they struggle when they can’t stay in front of their man. In the last matchup, Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a season-high 37 points.

It’ll be up to Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and the rest of the Wizards wings to set the tone early.

Crash the Defensive Boards

New York does an outstanding job on the offensive glass. They make up for poor shooting by crashing the boards and getting easy putbacks. In fact, they rank sixth in the league in second-chance points. Meanwhile, Washington gives up the sixth most second-chance points.

Knicks center Enes Kanter is one of the best rebounding bigs in the game. He averages just under four offensive rebounds, good enough for fourth in the league.

The Wizards bigs will be counted on heavily in this one to keep Kanter and company off the glass. If they do, the team will be able to get out in transition and get Beal and Porter into an early groove.

Tip-off is at 6 p.m.

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