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Wizards vs. Rockets preview: Washington begins road trip in Houston

The Wizards look to beat the Rockets for the first time this season.

Washington Wizards v Houston Rockets Photos by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images

The Washington Wizards (30-40) will face the Houston Rockets (17-53) on Monday.

Game info

When: Monday, March 21, 2022, 8 p.m. ET

Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

How to watch: NBC Sports Washington

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

Injury Report

Wizards: Kyle Kuzma (Day-to-day, Knee); Bradley Beal (Out)

Rockets: Eric Gordon (Questionable, Illness); Usman Garuba (Out, Ankle); Trevelin Queen (Day-to-Day); John Wall (Out)

Pregame notes

The Wizards will begin their three-game road trip against the Rockets on Monday evening. They will look to pick up their first win against Houston this season. In the Jan. 5 matchup, the Rockets outscored them 114-111. This time around, they will be without Bradley Beal but hopefully will have Kyle Kuzma back in rotation after he sat out during Saturday night’s game due to right knee tendinitis.

The Wizards are coming off a 127-119 win against the Lakers last Friday, which snapped their own 6-game losing streak. Even though they were without Kuzma and only played nine players, Washington was able to come back from being down by as much as 16 points in the first half and finally take the lead in the fourth quarter. Seven of those players scored in double-figures. Kristaps Porzingis led with 27 points while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Off the bench, Deni Avdija, Tomas Satoransky, Daniel Gafford and Ish Smith combined for 54 points.

The Wizards have proved they can win without Beal and Kuzma this season, so they should still go into Monday game confident if Kuzma doesn’t suit up. The Wizards just need to be hungrier than the Rockets, who are at the bottom of league standings and haven't even won 20 games this season.