Wizards 25-29 vs Kings 21-36
When: Saturday, February 12th, at 7:00p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
TV: NBCS Washington, NBC Sports California
Radio: The Team 980, WFED 1500 AM/ KHTK Sports 1140 AM
Injury
Wizards: Brad Beal (Out, Left Wrist Surgery), Daniel Gafford (Out, Health & Safety Protocol)
Kings: Terence Davis (Out, Right Wrist; ECU Tendon Recovery), Maurice Harkless (Questionable, Right Ankle Sprain)
Keep an eye on:
Rejuvenated De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis: Nothing compliments a floor general more than a dominant post presence and that's exactly what the Kings have now since trading for Sabonis, a perfect compliment to Fox and a lethal 1-2 punch to boot. The chemistry was evident in their first game together, a win over the fast improving Minnesota Timberwolves. Fox finished with 27 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists on 10-20 shooting including late baskets late where he literally outran everyone on the Wolves for the scores. Sabonis, after being cleared to play a little over an hour before the opening tip, got the edge over all star Karl Anthony-Towns with 22 points, a game high 14 rebounds and 5 assists on 10-19 shooting from the field. The impact of this duo was immediate and one Washington must disrupt if they want to hold serve at home.
Harrison Barnes: has been on a terror lately, scoring 21 or more points over the last four games for the Kings. In the Kings win over Minnesota, Barnes was unstoppable, scoring a game high 30 points on 8-11 shooting from the field, 4-5 from deep while also grabbing 8 rebounds. Barnes is shooting a career high 41 percent from 3-point range this season. Bottom line, Washington has to run Barnes off the line and swarm and crowd him with the same intensity they did in a win over Brooklyn or it can get ugly for the Wizards quickly.
Wizards Ball Movement: They were surgical in their win over Brooklyn Thursday night. Washington, led by Kyle Kuzma's game high 10 assists, finished with 29 assists as a team. The result, seven of the nine players who saw action for the Wizards, scored in double figures. The unselfishness offensively carried over to the defensive side of the ball and that allowed Washington to get their first win since February 2nd. Continuing this trend of selfless basketball may be what the doctor ordered to not only help the Wizards be in a position to win tonight, but, make a playoff push in the second half of the season.