The Wizards have won 3 of their last 4 meetings against the Hornets including a 109-101 home win earlier this season. Still, the Wizards cannot take Charlotte lightly given that Washington is 3-7 in their past 10 games and currently have a worse record than the Hornets. Washington looks to improve upon its 11-10 record on the road.
Keys to the game:
John Wall has to contain Kemba Walker who is coming back off an injury but still managed to score 20 points against Miami. Wall needs to play with energy on both ends for Washington to win.
Bradley Beal and Otto Porter are going to have to eventually knock down 3 point shots who were a combined 1-7 from 3 point range in their last game against Philadelphia.
Marcin Gortat may need to play extended minutes in this game to anchor Washington's defense, especially if Nene is out with a strained calf.
Interesting notes:
Jared Dudley, Gary Neal, and Ramon Sessions previously played with Charlotte. Dudley was drafted by Charlotte back in 2007. Neal and Sessions were traded for one another in a trade between the Bucks and Bobcats in 2014.
This game will feature a matchup of the #2 (MKG) and #3 (Bradley Beal) picks of the 2012 NBA draft and the #3 (Otto Porter) and #4 (Cody Zeller) picks of the 2013 draft.
