The Washington Wizards have had a terrific stretch of games recently — this is their best stretch of the last couple seasons, with both offense and defense clicking—most of the time. Not in their last game against the hot Timberwolves where the old and defense-less Wizards showed their ugly face again.
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Can they turn things back?
Here’s the preview.
Game Info
When: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
How to watch: LeaguePass
Injury Report
Wizards: Kyshawn George, Cam Whitmore (Out)
Magic: Jalen Suggs (Day-To-Day), Moritz Wagner, Franz Wagner, Colin Castleton (Out)
Pregame notes
Alex Sarr and consistency — The Wizards are getting good rim protection and defense when Sarr is engaged and playing well. Recently he’s had some terrific games (including one with 6 blocks, and another with 20 points against the Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s also had some missing in action games, including one where he scored just 2 points, and in the last game against the Timberwolves where he managed just 3 rebounds in 26 minutes of action. The question of Sarr’s consistency will ultimately make or break the Washington Wizards’ defense.
Defense in, Defense gone — In this beautiful analysis piece, Kevin Broom broke down the defensive scheme the Wizards have been following of late. That worked really well for a stretch of 10 games or so. During their stretch of four wins in five games, they had a top five defensive rating. Over the full 10-game stretch, the Wizards allowed less than 113 points a game. Before then, they were allowing more than 126 a contest. But against the Timberwolves, they gave up 141! Let’s see if this was just a fluke or whether their defense is for real.