3 things to watch for as Washington Wizards host Brooklyn Nets
The Washington Wizards will look to win their second straight game when they host the Brooklyn Nets at Capital One Arena.
After handily taking down Devonte’ Graham and the Charlotte Hornets, the Wizards are looking for what would be just their third set of back-to-back wins this year.
Bradley Beal is absolutely on fire, smack in the middle of an All-Star snub revenge tour, while Thomas Bryant is coming into his own as the Wizards’ leading big man.
In Brooklyn, it’s the backcourt that’s running the show. Kyrie Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie have both played alpha point guard at some point this season, but are coming off a win over the Detroit Pistons where the two combined for 48 points. They’re sure to cause problems for Beal and co.
That being said, here are three things to look out for on Saturday night’s matchup in D.C.
A Straight Up Shootout
Between Beal and Irving, there’s 55.5 points per game to be accounted for. And there’s no doubt that both of these guards will see their fair share on Saturday night in Washington.
The two haven’t played each other yet this season, but Wizards-Nets is a promising matchup between two high-volume scoring guards. Look for Irving and Beal to go toe-to-toe, similar to what we saw in the Wizards’ recent loss against Milwaukee when Beal went for 47 points and Khris Middleton had 51.
Particularly though, watch for Washington’s guard to continue his hot streak of play. Over the Wizards’ last five games, Beal is averaging 39 points, 6.8 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Troy Brown Jr Revenge Game?
Some of the best games to tune in to are those where a promising player is looking to make a statement. Typically this involves star talents against their former teams, but don’t be surprised if the Wizards get a strong performance out of Troy Brown Jr.
The NBA’s All-Star weekend features a lot of exhibition matches, one of them being the Rising Stars Challenge, which features promising first and second-year players.
Well, the team’s were announced on Friday afternoon, and instead of Brown, rookie forward Rui Hachimura and sophomore big man Moritz Wagner will be representing the Wizards. Both the players selected have played far fewer games this season, but have both been impressive while on the court.
Rui may be making his return on Saturday night, but has missed 22 straight games dating back to the middle of December. And Wagner has yet to come back from his own 24-game (and counting…) absence. So yes, Brown has a right to be a little upset.
Maybe he’ll let his play do the talking on Saturday behind a career-night against Brooklyn.
Hachimura’s Return
In this game, Wizards’ fans should be most excited about Hachimura’s (pending) return.
He’s officially listed as ‘questionable’ for Saturday night’s game, and like previously stated, has missed 22-straight games. His rookie campaign has been filled with promise: 13.9 points and 5.8 rebound averages, and his play may just be the silver lining to the back half of this season.
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Tune in on Saturday night for what holds a lot of promise in terms of an exciting matchup between the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets. Tip-off is at 8:00 pm est.