The Wizards are coming off one of their best wins of the young season on Wednesday in Philadelphia. Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal played like stars. Kyle Kuzma was awesome. And the entire bench was impactful. Now, with Kevin Durant leading the Nets into Capital One Arena, the Wizards will look to keep things moving in the right direction.
Here’s what you need to know.
WHERE: Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: NBC Sports Washington
RADIO: 980 AM & The Wizards App
WIZARDS:
Delon Wright (right hamstring strain — out)
NETS:
Seth Curry (left ankle; injury management — questionable)
Ben Simmons (left knee soreness — out)
T.J. Warren (left foot; injury recovery — out)
Kyrie Irving (suspension — out)
COREY KISPERT’S REGULAR SEASON DEBUT
After missing the first eight games of the season due to an ankle sprain suffered in preseason action, Corey Kispert is available for tonight’s game against the Nets.
Kispert averaged just over eight points per game on .455/.350/.871 shooting splits last year during his rookie season for Washington. Now, he’s ready to make an even bigger impact during his sophomore season.
“Having [Kispert] back is going to help us,” said Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. after practice yesterday. “Even if he’s not making shots, defenses are going to key in on him as a shooter. So that does add another guy out there that gives you space and allows room for other guys to play.”
To be determined still is how much Kispert plays and which groups of guys he plays with. Regardless, it’ll be great to have him back on the court in a Wizards jersey.
The Wizards are clicking at their best when the ball is moving from player to player. Quick decisions, snappy passes, and ball movement. That’s the recipe for success for this Wizards offense.
In Wednesday’s win over the Sixers, the Wizards recorded an incredible 27 assists. That was a season-high and a number that will always lead to lucrative offensive production.
“We had 27 assists,” said Unseld Jr. “It’s a heck of a number. If I were greedy, I’d want that number to get to 30. Just that mindset of playing for each other.”
Keep an eye on the Wizards’ ball movement coming off their best passing game of the season. See if the Wizards can make Unseld Jr.’s smile grow even wider by reaching 30 assists. It’s a lofty goal, but it’s certainly doable.
Kevin Durant is one of the best scorers of all time, and even at 34 years old, he’s still firing at an elite level. This season, he’s scoring 32.5 points per game on 52.8% shooting from the field to go along with 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
It’s no secret that he’s the primary offensive weapon on the Nets, and opposing defenses have been treating him as such. He’s seen tons of double and triple teams as defenders try to get the ball out of his hands by whatever means necessary.
It’s reasonable to expect the Wizards to throw their most versatile wing defenders on Durant to start the game — guys like Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija — but if the Wizards start sending two at Durant, it’ll be up to the rest of the team to cover when they get in scramble mode.
It’s a good test to see where this defense is at in terms of rotations and communication.