____VERSUS____
_______13-36, 14th East_______________________________32-18, 4th East
_____13-11 Home / 1-9 last 10 ______________________ 15-11 Home / 6-4 Last 10
Coming off of a loss to Gilbert Arenas and the visiting Orlando Magic, YOUR Washington Wizards strap it on for the second of a home back-to-back versus Southeast Conference rival Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are also on the tail end of a back-to-back, having won on Friday night in a thrilling 1 point win versus the L.A. Clippers. Hawks F Al Horford took a nasty shot (Flagrant 1) from Clippers F Blake Griffin with 0.6 seconds left - and his subsequent free throws proved to be the margin of victory. Don't know as I write this if Horford will have any lingering effects from the landing awkwardly after getting fouled, but he was gimpy while shooting his FTs.
YOUR Washington Wizards limp into the contest the winners of just one of their last 10 games. Rookie F Trevor Booker had a good game for your Wizards in Friday night's loss. G Kirk Hinrich had a good second half coming off of the bench.
It would appear that the game will come down to two factors - (1) Can the Wizards front line match-up with the Hawks'? (2) Can Kirk Hinrich slow down Jamal Crawford?
Saturday night in the District. All of the young men and ladies be looking fine at the phone booth to catch the game before hitting the clubs. Can YOUR Wizards find the juju to come up with a win at home?
Projected Lineups:
Point Guard
__
________John Wall, 6' 4", Kentucky___________________Mike Bibby, 6' 2", Arizona
________14.7 ppg, 9.3 apg, 4.1 rpg ___________________9.6 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.5 rpg
Off Guard
__
______Nick Young, 6' 7", USC_______________________Joe Johnson, 6' 7", Arkansas
_____17.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 apg ______________________20.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.5 apg
Small Forward
__
___Rashard Lewis, 6' 10", Alief Elsik HS____________Josh Smith, 6' 9", Oak Hill Academy
______12.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.7 apg _____________________17.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 3.4 apg
Power Forward
__
___Andre Blatche, 6' 11", South Kent Prep_____________Al Horford, 6' 10", Florida
________16.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 0.9 bpg __________________16.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Center
__
_____JaVale McGee, 7' 0", Nevada ___________________Jason Collins, 7' 0", Stanford
_______9.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.5 bpg _______________________2.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.2 bpg
The Ones to Watch
__
________Wizards G Kirk Hinrich______________________Hawks G Jamal Crawford
The battle of reserve guards, Hinrich vs Crawford / defense vs offense may very well be key to the game.
-- Can the Wizards turn around a bad patch and get a win versus a Southeast Conference rival?
-- Which team will win the battle of the boards and points in the paint?
-- Can Hinrich's D slow down Crawford's offensive prowess?
Post your thoughts, opinions, and predictions here.
What: Washington Wizards vs Atlanta Hawks
Where: Verizon Center - Washington, DC
When: 7:00 p.m. (EST)
TV: Comcast Sportsnet, NBA League Pass
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
Go Wizards!
Magnumt