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Wizards vs. Kings preview: Washington welcomes DeMarcus Cousins to town for Monday showdown

By WindyRindy
NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Sacramento Kings Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Game Info

When: 7 PM EST
Where: Verizon Center in Washington D.C.
TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic
Radio: 1500 AM and Wizards Radio App

Injury Report

Wizards - Danuel House (Questionable)
Kings - None

What to Watch For

Can Gortat contain Cousins?

Gortat has had a tough time defending elite centers this year. Between Hassan Whiteside and Dwight Howard, Gortat has struggled with the strong and powerful centers. Although the perimeter defenders haven’t been great either, Gortat’s decline on the defensive end close to the basket is noticeable.

Gortat’s decrease in foot speed has also been a problem with perimeter oriented big men. We all remember the way Marc Gasol stretched Gortat out to the 3 point line, causing all sorts of defensive breakdowns.

Cousins has both a powerful interior game and can stretch you out to the 3 point line. Let’s hope Gortat, and the team, can play some organized and effective defense.

Can the Wizards win their 4 out of their next 6?

The Wizards schedule has lightened up some and the Wizards have won 3 out of 5 because of that. The Kings are another team that the Wizards should win, or at the very least stay competitive with. Last game, the objectively better Spurs had an easy time beating the Wizards, but this game should be different. Wall is much better than Ty Lawson and should look to exploit that match-up.

This will be a big test for the Wizards in terms of one-on-one defense. The Kings have no one like Wall that can create for others. In fact, Collison leads the Kings with 5.5 assists per game. Otto Porter, specifically, will need to stay in front of Rudy Gay and not rely on Gortat to back him up, given that Gortat will already have his hands full.

Most likely Wizards Killer: Garrett Temple

NBA: Los Angeles Clippers at Sacramento Kings Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Temple comes back to the Verizon Center to play against the team that gave him his NBA chance on Christmas day 5 years ago. We’ve seen Temple go off before against other teams, and I think he will be able to get some steals and easy buckets if Wall and Beal aren’t careful enough with the ball.