{"id":511983,"date":"2026-01-02T15:31:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T15:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/511983\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T15:31:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T15:31:14","slug":"nets-vs-wizards-preview-friday-night-in-dc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/511983\/","title":{"rendered":"Nets vs. Wizards preview: Friday night in DC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WASHINGTON,<\/a><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 28: Alexandre Sarr #20 of the Washington Wizards talks to the media after winning the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 28, 2025 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling\/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

2026 is here and the Brooklyn Nets are looking to get back in the winner\u2019s circle. They were shorthanded in last night\u2019s matchup against the Houston Rockets and old friend Kevin Durant, and predictably got demolished <\/a>by 24 points. It was their worst loss in a while, but fortunately they\u2019re right back on the court so they can wash that L away.<\/p>\n

The opponent tonight is looking ahead to its future. The Washington Wizards beat <\/a>the Milwaukee Bucks on New Year\u2019s Eve. Tonight is the first night of a three game homestand that will also see them take on the Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic.<\/p>\n

YES Network on TV. WFAN on radio. Gotham Sports on streaming. Tip after 7 PM.<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Nets were without Michael Porter Jr, Egor D\u0451min, and Terrance Mann last night. We\u2019ll see if they\u2019re available tonight. Night two of a back-to-back so we\u2019ll see if anyone else sits.<\/p>\n

No Cam Whitmore, Kyshawn George, or Corey Kispert.<\/p>\n

Brooklyn won the first <\/a>meeting in November.<\/p>\n

The Wizards are in an interesting spot. Their pick is top eight protected, and if the team is too \u201cgood,\u201d that pick goes to the New York Knicks. Naturally, there\u2019s concern that another team will cash in on your misery, but as Greg Finberg of Bullets Forever<\/a> notes, there\u2019s still plenty to gain from the team\u2019s recent success:<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand the logic behind the concerns of those worried fans. In a year equipped with what is considered the best draft class in decades, the Wizards need to keep their pick. But should they do so at the expense of developing their young core and teaching them how to win? I don\u2019t think so, especially when these wins have the team nowhere close to climbing out of the league\u2019s bottom four.\u201c<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the tough question a lot of rebuilding teams always have to answer. You want to make sure you have the best draft position imaginable, but you want to instill good habits in your youngsters early so that when you\u2019re back in contention, they\u2019re ready to hit the ground running.<\/p>\n

Cam Thomas is back, and it looks like the Nets will have him come off the bench as he regains his rhythm. Naturally Thomas wants to start and contribute, but for now being the super scorer off the bench will help him get back to speed. Jordi Fernandez is still seeking better defense and playmaking from the young guard, so he\u2019s still got a ways to go before he\u2019s where the team wants him to be.<\/p>\n

We mentioned the Wizards\u2019 young talent earlier, and they\u2019ve quietly been putting a good group together. With Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, and Bub Carrington, they\u2019ve got a promising young nucleus developing. One more good pick, and maybe they\u2019ll be back in business sooner than we know it.<\/p>\n

Player to watch: Alexandre Sarr<\/p>\n

The Wizards have some building blocks, and Sarr is one of the biggest. The second year center has been much improved compared to his rookie year and has seen his numbers increase across the board. He\u2019s finishing a lot better at the rim and has cut down on his three point attempts as the Wizards have found him a lot more shots on the inside. Sarr is second in the NBA in blocks per game, so it will take a great effort by the Nets on the inside if they want to have success in the paint.<\/p>\n

Nic Claxton will be tasked with battling Sarr on the inside. The Rockets dominated the boards last night even as they were shorthanded. The Wizards have been one of the weaker rebounding teams in the league this season, so the Nets hope Clax and Day\u2019ron Sharpe can control the interior and help the team get out on the run going the other way. Although it\u2019s the second leg of a back-2-back, the travel was relatively short compared to other b2bs. We\u2019ll see if that helps the Nets find some extra energy late if this game is close.<\/p>\n

Ones in the air for Isiah Whitlock Jr<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 28: Alexandre Sarr #20 of the Washington Wizards talks to the media after winning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3767],"tags":[7,670,247,3803,6,671,19734],"class_list":{"0":"post-511983","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn-nets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-brooklyn","10":"tag-brooklyn-nets","11":"tag-brooklynnets","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-nets","14":"tag-nets-game-previews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115826228316580609","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}