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Game Info
When: Sunday, April 7 at 7:30 pm Eastern Time
Where: Madison Square Garden in New York City
TV: NBC Sports Washington
Injury Report
Wizards: Jordan McRae (Day-to-Day, Achilles), Jabari Parker (Day-to-Day, Knee), John Wall (Out, Heel), Dwight Howard (Out, Back), Trevor Ariza (Out, Groin)
Knicks: Kadeem Allen (Day-to-Day, Concussion), Isaiah Hicks (Day-to-Day, Hip), Emmanuel Mudiay (Day-to-Day, Shoulder), Dennis Smith Jr. (Day-to-Day, Back), Allonzo Trier (Day-to-Day, Calf), Noah Vonleh (Day-to-Day, Ankle), Frank Ntilikina (Out, Groin)
What to Watch for
The tank race
The Knicks have locked up everything they can. They’ve guaranteed they’ll have a 14 percent chance at the top overall pick and a 52.1 percent chance at a top-four pick.
Things aren’t so clear for the Wizards. They’re tied with the Pelicans for the seventh-worst record in the league, If they lose out, there’s still a chance they could catch the Mavericks who have three games left to play, including two winnable games against the Grizzlies and Suns. If they win out, there’s a chance they could finish with the ninth-worst record.
The difference between the lottery odds with the sixth-worst record and the ninth-worst record isn’t massive, but every ping-pong ball helps the cause at this point. If they finish sixth, they get a 9 percent chance at the top overall pick and a 37.2 percent chance at a top-four pick. If they finish ninth, they only get a 4.5 percent chance at the top pick and a 20.3 percent chance at a top-four pick.
Hopefully not Steve Buckhantz’s last broadcast
The Wizards’ season finale is a TNT exclusive, so this is the last NBC Sports Washington broadcast of the season. Thus, this could end up being Buckhantz’s final game doing play-by-play for the Wizards. Hopefully something gets worked out to bring him back for a 23rd season, but savor this game while you can, just in case.