Wizards vs. Magic preview: Washington seeks first road win of the season without John Wall

Game Info

When: Saturday, November 5th at 7 p.m. ET
Where: The Amway Center in Orlando, Flordia
TV: CSN Mid-Atlantic
Radio: 1500 AM and Wizards Radio App

Injury Report

Magic: Jodie Meeks (Out, Foot)
Wizards: John Wall (Held Out, Rest) Ian Mahinmi (Out, Knee)

What to Watch For

Who will be better from behind the arc?

Who will be worse might be a better way to phrase it.

The Wizards and Magic both rank near the bottom of the league in three-point makes per game and three-point percentage to start the season.

It would be surprising if either team has a big night from behind the arc but Orlando’s issues lie in the fact that they lack floor-spacing and competent shooters. Washington does have good three-point shooters in Bradley Beal and Otto Porter; they just have not gotten their long ball going so far aside from Beal’s three triples against the Hawks Friday night.

The Wizards have yet to hit more threes than an opponent this season. That could finally change on Saturday night.

Will the Wizards be better on the boards?

Washington has really struggled to rebound on both ends of the floor early in the season. And, while the Magic have not been great on the defensive boards, they have been superb on the offensive glass and currently lead the league in second chance points.

Orlando has really struggled to get anything going out of their halfcourt offense, and limiting them to one shot per possession takes away their biggest offensive strength.

Will the Wizards finally get bench production?

The Wizards reserves have definitely struggled to score, but what’s even more alarming is how much they’ve struggled to defend. Washington is giving up more than 40 points per game to opposing benches.

There is no doubt the Wizards are sorely missing Ian Mahinmi, especially defensively, but they need someone on their bench to step up on both sides of the ball.

The good news is things can’t get much worse with the bench. So virtually any sort of production they can give Washington will be a step in the right direction.

Most Likely Wizard Killer: Jeff Green

The Georgetown product is coming off his best game of the season, putting up 15 points in just 19 minutes against the Kings. He has also been known to give the Wizards trouble in the past:

Not only did Green go to college in DC, he was born and raised in the area and went to Northwestern high school in Hyattsville, Maryland. He will have plenty of incentive to put together a strong outing against his hometown team Saturday night.