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Game Info
When: Friday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
TV: NBC Sports Washington
Win probability: Washington has a 60 percent chance of winning according to Kevin Broom’s Win Predictor, and a 62 percent chance of winning according to FiveThirtyEight.
Injury Report
Wizards: Otto Porter (Questionable, Hip), Sheldon Mac (Out, Achilles)
Nets: Jeremy Lin (Out, Knee), D’Angelo Russell (Out, Knee)
What to Watch for
What will the Wizards try to change this time around?
Washington had success baiting the three-point happy Nets into a lot of bad shots when they played last week. Brooklyn shot 10-43 from beyond the arc. But Washington’s aggressive approach on the perimeter opened up a lot of driving lanes to the paint for Brooklyn which led to free throws and easy layups which helped the Nets offset their rough shooting night on the way to a 103-98 win.
The Wizards should have more success defensively this time around because John Wall is back, which gives them more versatility on that end, plus the team won’t be on the last leg of long road trip, so they should be able to recover to open players better. That alone might be enough to make the difference in this game.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt if they tried to be a little more balanced in their defensive approach. The Nets take the second-most threes per game in the league, but only two teams shoot a lower percentage from deep. Of course, you don’t want to let Brooklyn’s shooters get too open, but they shouldn’t be sacrificing easy looks inside to get it done.
A random moment in Wizards - Nets history: The time Mason Plumlee made a big ol’ mess
Watch where you’re going Mason!