Preview: Washington Wizards start road trip vs. Miami Heat

The Washington Wizards kickoff a four-game road trip tonight in Miami against Jimmy Butler’s Heat. Here’s some key players, storylines, and odds.

Coming off of a win over the Detroit Pistons, the Washington Wizards will travel to Miami for a matchup against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Wednesday’s game against the Heat will be the first of a four-game road trip for Washington.

On the season, the Wizards are just 5-17 on the road. This road trip will provide one of the few opportunities to put a dent in that lowly .227 away winning percentage. After this trip, Washington has just 15 road games remaining, making it all the more important they capitalize.

Heat Players to Watch

What Butler has been able to do with this Miami cast is nothing short of incredible. But what’s all the more impressive is how the team has been able to respond in his absence.

Butler missed Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, and still, every player to touch the floor scored five or more points. Five players finished with double digit points, and the Heat took down the Kings handily. Mostly due to rookie guard Kendrick Nunn who put up 25 points.

Nunn is right in the middle of the Rookie of the Year conversation. Washington will have their hands full with Nunn and Butler, who is reportedly expected to play on Wednesday night. Expect Bradley Beal, Troy Brown Jr, and Gary Payton II to almost exclusively guard those two.

In Washington’s late-December win over the Heat, they held Nunn to just 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting. He was a non-factor almost the entire game, and the Wizards should aim to keep it that way in this Eastern Conference rematch.

Key to Win: Capitalize off of Turnovers

Aside from keeping the rising point guard in check, another key factor to Washington’s win over Miami in December was turnovers. Points off turnovers played heavily in the Washington Wizards’ favor. The Heat had twice as many turnovers as Washington that game with 18, as they turn the ball over quite a bit on a nightly basis.

Per NBA.com, Miami ranks 26th league-wide in turnovers per game with 15.7 per night. For reference, the Wizards rank 10th, at 14.3. And as far as opponent points off of turnovers, Miami also ranks 26th with 18.7 points per game, per NBA.com.

If Washington can replicate their performance on the defensive end against Miami, they’ll replicate the same outcome we saw when these two teams last met.

Because we know that this Wizards team can put up the points, it’s just always a question of how many they can limit on the other end of the ball. Defense wins championships they say, but it will also win Washington the game on Wednesday if they execute it properly.