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Wizards vs. Warriors preview: Washington faces Golden State on Friday night

Let the four-game West Coast trip begin!

Golden State Warriors v Washington Wizards Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

The Washington Wizards play the Golden State Warriors on Friday night as they continue a long cross-country road trip. Here’s the preview.

Game Info

When: Friday, April 9 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

How to watch: NBC Sports Washington

Injury Report

Wizards: Daniel Gafford (Ankle, Out); Thomas Bryant (Knee, Out)

Warriors: Eric Paschall (Hip, Out); Klay Thompson (Achilles, Out)

Pregame Notes

It’s the first time the Wizards face the Warriors this season

The Washington Wizards (18-32) will face the Golden State Warriors (24-27) for the first time this season. This game will be the first of their 4-game road trip. Although the Warriors aren’t having a great season and are without Klay Thompson, the Wizards will still have to work for a win. They’ll first have to go through Steph Curry, who is right behind Bradley Beal with the league’s second best spot in scoring with 29.7 points per game. In his team’s last game, which resulted in a 1-point victory against Milwaukee, he dropped 41 points. Following Curry, in team scoring are Andrew Wiggins, former Wizards Kelly Oubre Jr., and James Wiseman.

Wizards hope to continue momentum after victory

After losing four consecutive games, the Wizards were able to pull off a 131-116 win against the Orlando Magic on the road Wednesday night. Bradley Beal returned to the lineup and led the team with 26 points. Russell Westbrook and Davis Bertans added 23 and 22 points respectively. It was a historic night for Westbrook as he became the second player in NBA history to have four seasons of 20-plus triple-doubles after Oscar Robertson’s 5. Washington is now 18-32 for the season.

Bradley Beal is back for now but revealed a new condition

Beal suited up Wednesday night after missing five consecutive games with a hip contusion but it doesn’t seem like the guard is completely healthy, which is concerning.

In the Wizards’ broadcast Beal admitted that the injury he’s been working through is “a little bit worse than a little contusion.” “I got some nerve stuff going on, too,” he said.

In a tweet after after Wednesday’s game, independent Wizards reporter and analyst Quinton Mayo said Beal revealed he’s dealing with Meralgia parenthetic, which is a condition characterized by tingling, numbness, and burning in the lower body. In a follow-up tweet, Mayo said Beal’s treatment has included dry needling and cupping. “The only thing that really feels good is movement, oddly enough,” Mayo added on Beal’s condition.

Having Beal healthy enough to play always puts the team in a better position to compete but hopefully being on the floor doesn’t have any adverse effects to his recovery or overall health. The shooting guard is still leading the league in scoring with 31.3 points per game. He’s also averaging 5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.