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Injuries pile up for Wizards as they get ready for key game vs. Thunder

Today's Wake-Up Call takes a look at the Wizards dealing with another string of injuries, how the team celebrated on New Year's Eve and what they'll have to deal with as they face the Thunder.

By Jake Whitacre
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

1. Beal, Nene miss practice with injuries

The one consolation the Wizards had as they entered this difficult stretch in the schedule was that the roster was finally healthy, even Martell Webster. Well, of course, something that perfect can only last two games before reality sets back in again. Bradley Beal and Nene - the two players you'd probably guess first if we asked "Guess which two Wizards missed practice with an injuries today?" - missed practice on Thursday after getting dinged up against the Mavericks, according to CSN Washington.

Drew Gooden also missed practice on Thursday. Officially, the team is saying the Gooden is dealing with a knee issue, but I think we all know what's really going on here:

2. Which Wizard would you like to get drinks with?

WizardsXTRA is running a contest to see which Wizards player you'd most like to grab drinks with on Twitter. Voting is still in the first round, but it's still pretty shocking to see this tweet get more than zero favs.

3. Porter, Seraphin become honorary old men for a night

That's the only logical explanation I can come up with for how Otto Porter (21) and Kevin Seraphin (25) wound up at this New Year's Eve party with Paul Pierce (37), Rasual Butler (35), Nene (32) and Marcin Gortat (30).

For those of you wondering: Andre Miller was not in attendance since he was fulfilling his annual New Year's Eve duties as Father Time, a role Miller has held since the beginning of time itself.

4. Kevin Durant welcomes his future team to his current home

The Wizards take on the Thunder tonight at 8 p.m. on CSN Washington and 99.1 WNEW. And sure, most of the focus will be on another awkward encounter in love triangle between Kevin Durant, his hometown and the city that's trying to claim him as their own.

That said, the real story will be the battle between John Wall and Russell Westbrook. We've seen how Wall has stepped up his defense against some of the NBA's best, but Westbrook has been playing at an absurd level since he returned from injury. He's averaging 27.6 points, 7.2 assists and 5.6 rebounds in just 31 minutes of action per game. That's three full points per game higher than the next highest average posted by someone playing 31 minutes or less per game in a season. The person holding down second? Kevin Durant, who is averaging 24.6 points per game in under 31 minutes of action.

But you know what the crazy thing about Westbrook leading Durant by three full points per game is? Westbrook has that lead even though he was ejected after 17 minutes on Wednesday against Phoenix and Durant went on to score 44 points in that game. Right now, Russell Westbrook is Megatron and all the Decepticons combined right now. Optimus Dime is going to have his hands full.