Washington Wizards: Wizards head to Sacramento in search of their second victory

The Washington Wizards hit the halfway point in their road trip as they take on the Sacramento Kings Friday night.

After coming off an embarrassing loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Washington Wizards look to get a little redemption against the Sacramento Kings.

The Wizards head into the matchup with an outstanding record of 1-3 and Sacramento isn’t significantly better at 2-3. However, the Kings are coming off a victory against the Memphis Grizzles, 97-92.

The Kings have a talented young core that have been playing decently well this season. But, this should be a game that the Wizards should have no problem taking care of business.

Bradley Beal is a little banged up, but should be all systems go for the game. The team will be without Dwight Howard once again as he hasn’t flown out west. This only indicates that he won’t make the rest of the trip. On top of that, Ian Mahinmi is questionable. The Wizards need to go with a small-lineup if Mahinmi isn’t

Sacramento has been a high-scoring team early on, which will test the non-existent Washington defense. The Wizards can’t afford to keep displaying these poor defensive performances. Scott Brooks hopefully will have made some changes after the Golden State affair.

Let’s check out the details for tonight’s game.

Game Info

Game: Washington Wizards vs. Sacramento Kings

When: Wednesday, October 26

Where: Golden 1 Center

TV: NBC Sports Washington, Fubo TV, NBATV

Tip-Off Time: 10:00 pm Eastern Time

Injury Report

Wizards: Dwight Howard (Gluteal Soreness-Out), Ian Mahinmi (Back Spasms-Questionable)

Kings: Bogdan Bogdanovic (Left Knee-Out), Kosta Koufos (Right Hamstring-Out)

Projected Starting Lineup

Wizards: G-John Wall, G-Bradley Beal, F- Otto Porter Jr., F-Markieff Morris, C-Ian Mahinmi

Kings: G-De’Aaron Fox, G-Buddy Hield, F-Justin Jackson, F-Nemanja Bjelica, C-Willie Cauley-Stein

Prediction

The Wizards have won the last four meetings and should continue that trend. The Kings are giving up 122 points to opposing teams, but are also one of the highest scoring offensive teams.

John Wall will have a bounce back performance as he looks to remind the young gun De’Aaron Fox, that he is the fastest player in the NBA. Beal should be able to get some major work done against Buddy Hield, who is only a mediocre defender. Kelly Oubre Jr. has been playing extremely well, but Washington will need another individual to step up and produce.

The size advantage sways towards Sacramento as Willie Cauley-Stein, Marvin Bagley, and Nemanja Bjelica all stand above 6’10”. If the Kings are smart they will pound it down low and play in a half court set as often as possible.

For Washington, Mahinmi is questionable, which means that Jeff Green and Markieff Morris will have to carry the load in trying to establish an interior presence. While they might lack the size to guard Sacramento’s big men, they will pose advantages on the offensive side. Both players have the threat to hit from beyond the arc, which will also help space the floor for the rest of the Wizards roster to go to work.

I believe the Wizards will continue their winning streak against Sacramento. Not to mention they are a little desperate for this win so their record doesn’t fall to 1-4.

Final Score: SAC-116, WSH-127

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