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Wizards vs. Nuggets preview: Washington returns home to face Denver

The Wizards dropped all four of their last west coast games.

Washington Wizards v Denver Nuggets Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images

The Washington Wizards (29-38) are facing the Denver Nuggets (41-28) at home on Wednesday night.

Game info

When: Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 7 p.m. ET

Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.

How to watch: NBC Sports Washington

How to listen: The Team 980 AM, 106.7-2 FM

Odds: The Wizards are underdogs with a spread of +6 against Wes Unseld, Jr.’s old team.

Injury Report

Wizards: Bradley Beal (Out)

Nuggets: Vlatko Cancer (Foot, Out); Jamal Murray (Knee, Out); Michael Porter Jr. (Back, Out); Zeke Nnaji (Knee Out)

Pregame notes

The Wizards look to snap their four-game losing streak Wednesday night when they face Denver for the second time this season on Wednesday. In their first meeting in December, Washington lost by 6 points after coming back from a 33-point deficit in the third quarter. The Wizards had no answer for Nikola Jokic, who put up 28 points on 14 field goal attempts, grabbed 19 rebounds, dished 9 assists, and had 3 steals and a block in his 31 minutes on the floor. He also out-rebounded the Wizards in the first quarter of the game. The Wizards were able to close the gap even more because Jokic was ejected with 6 minutes left in regulation. Davis Bertans led the Wizards in scoring with 21 points.

The Wizards will rely heavily on Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kristaps Porzingis in the frontcourt. Kuzma is averaging 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while Caldwell-Pope has put up 17.1 points in the last 10 games. Porzingis is coming off a 25-point game against the Warriors.

In addition to having to contain Jokic, the Wizards will have to have their eye on Will Barton, who is the team’s second leading scorer. He’s averaging 14.9 points per game and is coming off a 20-point game, where he shot 50 percent from beyond the arc. He’s also grabbing 4.9 rebounds and dishing 3.8 assists per game.

The Wizards are 17-17 at home while the Nuggets, who are coming off a win against the Sixers, are 21-15 on the road.


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