Washington Wizards: Wizards take on Pelicans for second time this week
The Washington Wizards head to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans for the second time in the last week.
The Washington Wizards defeated the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night in D.C., 124-114. Anthony Davis did not play in this matchup, but will the second time around.
The Pelicans have lost four straight games heading into this affair. On the other hand the Wizards have been doing good as of late, recently beating the Houston Rockets in over time.
Otto Porter went off in the first meeting between these two teams, scoring 29 points and adding 7 rebounds. Washington had some trouble with Julius Randle as he dropped 29 points as well and dominated the boards with 15.
This meeting should be closer with Davis back in the lineup. Let’s take a look at the game details below.
Game Info
Game: Washington Wizards vs. New Orleans Pelicans
When: Wednesday, November 28
Where: Capital one Arena
TV: NBC Sports Washington, Fubo TV
Tip-Off Time: 8:00 pm Eastern Time
Injury Report
Wizards: Dwight Howard (Gluteal Soreness-Questionable)
Pelicans: Elfrid Payton (Fractured Left Finger-Out)
Projected Starting Lineup
Wizards: G-John Wall, G-Bradley Beal, F- Kelly Oubre Jr., F-Otto Porter, C-Thomas Bryant
Pelicans: G-Jrue Holiday, G-E’Twaun Moore, F-Wesley Johnson, F-Nikola Mirotic, C-Anthony Davis
Prediction
The Wizards are 3-1 since inserting Oubre into the starting lineup and bringing Markieff Morris off the bench. Morris has averaged 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc since the move.
The team has done a fantastic job of tuning out the noise surrounding them. They’ve looked productive as of late, achieving wins over the Clippers, Rockets, and Pelicans. This would be another big win for the Wizards, especially on the road.
Everything changes now that Davis is back in the lineup. He’s averaging 27 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game. These are true MVP numbers by anyone’s standards. Washington had a hard enough time dealing with Randle in the middle, but Davis is a whole other beast to deal with.
Even though the Pelicans have been in a slump as of late, they know that the Wizards are a very fragile team right now. New Orleans may be struggling, but they are 8-2 at home this season. On the other hand, Washington has won 13 of the last 14 games in the series.
It would be great if Dwight Howard could suit up for this game. Howard’s status will be a game-time decision. He’s been dealing with a lot of drama off the court. It would be good for him to return to get some frustration out. If not, it’s obvious that Bryant and Morris will have a tough time guarding Davis.
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Normally, I would take the Pelicans because Davis is an absolute monster, but the Wizards are hot. Wall and Beal are on a tear the past few games and look to be in sync. Washington has my vote for this matchup.
Final Score- NO-124, WSH-129
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