The Washington Wizards are in the midst of a 12 game losing streak after their loss to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
With the Los Angeles Clippers coming into town on Wednesday night, the Wizards will have little to no time to be down on themselves; especially if they hope to end their losing skid in front of their home fans who are in desperate need of a win.
Looking ahead, they'll have their hands full against a Clippers team that has championship aspirations of their own. And with LA coming off a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday, the Western Conference squad will be looking to make a statement of their own.
That said, here's 3 matchups the Wizards will need to capitalize on in order to pull off the upset.
Bilal Coulibaly vs. James Harden
Leading the Clippers into battle will be longtime veteran and former MVP winner James Harden who has picked up the slack while Kawhi Leonard has dealt with injuries.
With his creativity on offense and ability to put the ball in the basket at his leisure, the Wizards will have their hands full slowing him down. And if they do manage to slow him down on offensively, Harden will get his teammates great looks with his facilitating ability.
If the Wizards hope to slow down Harden, they'll have to put their best perimeter defender on the star guard and that happens to be second-year man Bilal Coulibaly who has shown strides as a defender in his sophomore season. If the French product can limit Harden's production, that alone will be a win for Washington.
Jonas Valanciunas vs. Ivica Zubac
Jonas Valanciunas has slotted into a bench role for the Wizards this season, but the big man has still served as a reliable option for Washington, especially in the rebounding department. They'll need him to do just that against Los Angeles and Ivica Zubac who played with a physical and aggressive style of play.
If Washington hopes to come out on top, they'll need to win the rebounding battle which comes down to Valanciunas as he's the key to doing so.
Wizards bench vs. Clippers bench
The Clippers roster is one of the deepest in the league as they loaded up with bench depth looking to fill in for the absence of Paul George who left the team in free agency. Meanwhile, the Wizards bench unit may not have the same big names, but they've shown they have the talent to produce.
If there's any chance for a Wizards win on Wednesday, they'll need a solid performance from all areas, including the bench unit.