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Wizards vs. Nets preview: Washington faces new-look Brooklyn team

NBA: Washington Wizards at Brooklyn Nets Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Game Info

When: Tuesday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
TV: NBC Sports Washington
Win probability: Washington has a 57 percent chance of winning according to Kevin Broom’s win predictor, and a 58 percent chance of winning, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Injury Report

Wizards: John Wall (Out, Knee), Ian Mahinmi (Out, Knee), Sheldon Mac (Out, Achilles)

Nets: Jeremy Lin (Out, Knee), D’Angelo Russell (Out, Knee)

What to Watch for

How will Washington prepare for a team they haven’t faced?

Late last week, the Nets traded Trevor Booker to Philadelphia in exchange for Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas, as Brooklyn continues to find new ways to buy low on players with potential. Barring something unexpected, this should be everyone’s first chance to see both Okafor and Stauskas with their new team.

The good news for Washington is the Nets have only had a few days to get their new players up to speed, and in Okafor’s case, he hasn’t played in a meaningful NBA game since November 7. It’s going to take some time to shake off the rust and get up to speed.

What the Nets lack in experience they’ll try to make up for with the element of surprise. There’s only so much Washington can do to prepare, considering they don’t know how Okafor and Stauskas will be deployed in Kenny Atkinson’s system. Will Jahlil start launching threes now? Will Stauskas flourish in a perimeter-happy system? It’s anyone’s guess.

A random moment in Wizards - Nets history: Al Harrington welcomes Andray Blatche back to Washington

Speaking of players who wanted to make a good impression against Washington in their first game as a Net, Andray Blatche probably wishes he could have this post-up back: