Wizard’s 17-25 vs Bucks 29-11
When: Friday, January 11th, at 7 p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena in Washington D.C.
TV: NBC Sports Washington, FSWIS / Radio: 1500 AM, 620 AM/103.3 FM WTMJ
Injury
Wizards: Dwight Howard (Day to Day/ Back), John Wall (Out for the season/ Haglund’s deformity and chronic Achilles tendon injury), Markieff Morris (Day to Day/ Stinger,Neck Stiffness),
Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo (Doubtful/Ankle), Ersan Ilyasova ( Probable/ Quad), DJ Wilson (Doubtful/ Hip), Christian Wood (Out/Ankle)
Wizards -
113.0 - points per game
116.5 - points against
46.5 - Field goal %
Bucks -
117.5 - points per game
108.0 - points against
47.8 - field goal %
Keep an eye on:
Greek Freak: Averaging 26.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, 6 assist, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals on 58 percent shooting. Need I say more? Antetokounmpo is my front runner for league MVP right now, his all-around impact is undeniable and is a big reason why the Bucks have a shot at being in the finals in June. Stopping Giannis is out the question, the best thing to do is take away the aspects he dominates the most in, finishing at the basket and rebounding. The Wizards will have to rebound by committee and swarm Antetokounmpo when he attacks while also recovering to the Bucks shooters when he looks to find open teammates. Easier said than done I know, however it works. In Milwaukee’s loss to the Raptors, Greek Freak scored 43 points and pulled down 18 rebounds, yet, he had six turnovers and only 4 assist. If Washington stays locked in for a full 48 doing this, they’ll be in a position to get the win.
Rebound: Milwaukee ranks fourth in the NBA in rebounding, averaging 49.4 per game. They have eight players that average 4 rebounds or better. Washington on the other hand is one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, averaging 40.6 rebounds per game which ranks 27th in the NBA. Simple as this, if the Wizards don’t rebound well, they won’t win. Milwaukee’s size up front, uptempo style and physicality on the perimeter will wear Washington down and the shots the Bucks will miss, will turn into into second possessions and ultimately points. When Washington rebounds well, they usually win. Tonight, rebounding is a MUST!!!!
Energy: Bring a full 48 minutes of high energy on both ends, just like they did Wednesday in a blow out win over Philly. Move the ball on offense, be selfless and when you get your shot, knock it down. Crash the boards as if your career depended on it and swarm on defense. No let up.