NBA 2021/22 on Thursday, 20.01.2022
The Brooklyn Nets made the Washington Wizards look pretty old in their last meeting in October. But things have been going smoothly for the Bullets in the meantime, while the usual injury misfortune seems to be clinging to the soles of the New Yorkers.
As we will find out in my Wizards Nets forecast, the visitors are missing several important players. The home side has already beaten a strong top team with a quasi-best line-up in their NBA appearance the day before yesterday.
The Nets are known to be one of the absolute top favourites for the NBA title this season. However, the New Yorkers are facing some very tough weeks, between four and six to be exact.
That’s how long Kevin Durant’s recovery will take. So the curse of the Big Three has struck again. As soon as Irving, Durant and Harden come together, one of the three will be out for a long time.
As a result, Brooklyn unsurprisingly lost two of its last three games and is now probably doomed to lose the game against the Wizards as well. Because aside from Washington delivering at the moment, Durant isn’t the only Nets player who has to rest.
The Nets’ starting five won’t be as weakened as it is in home games. That’s because vaccination holdout Kyrie Irving is allowed to play in outings like the upcoming one to Washington because of his vaccination status, it’s only in home games that he’s not allowed to enter Barclays Arena.
Consequently, Irving will keep the Wizards’ defence busy! Nonetheless, several other key Nets players will be out. Namely, Bemby, Claxton, Haris and Millsap are all capable bench players who usually provide much-needed relief.
Lacking those alternatives, the Nets could fold early! The Wizards are a young team with nimble players who usually perform best in the third quarter. At the moment, the home side is doing brilliantly anyway!
Wasington has not only not lost a single game, but has also won four of its last five NBA games. The last win, by the way, was crucial to actually trust them to win in my Wizards Nets prediction!
In their 117-98 win over the Sixers, the Bullets proved that they can hold their own against a team with a strong centre like Joel Embiid. For that reason alone, I would have trusted them to triumph over the Nets tonight, even “with” Durant.
Brooklyn, like Philadelphia, has a similarly dominant centre around whom their game revolves. But with Durantula out, Washington should have an easier time taming the visitors.
It will still not be an easy game for the home side, as James Harden will fill the vacuum left by Kevin Durant in the half court with his forays for the Nets, but the bottom line is that it might not be enough to beat the Bullets in the end.
So conditions are much better for Washington than they were in the 90-104 loss to Brooklyn in October. Since then, the team of head coach Wes Unseld Jr. has developed splendidly and is even openly aiming for the play-off places with a record of 23-21.
Incidentally, it was Kevin Durant who was the best player on this evening with 25 points in the last direct duel. However, as we have learned, Durantula is out – and with him a number of important bench players who were crucial to success in this showdown.
Conclusion: The Wizards are on a roll, winning four of their last five NBA games. Including the one against the strong Sixers, who were held at bay by over 20 points despite a phenomenal Joel Embiid.
Based on that performance alone, which is less than 48 hours old, I would already declare the Bullets favourites. But luck also seems to be in the home side’s favour, as the Nets’ absences are piling up.
The recent news about Durant’s long-term injury was bad enough, but all in all, Bemby, Claxton, Haris and Millsap are four more useful players who will be missing for the New Yorkers.
The bookmakers see “almost” a 50:50 affair in this game – I, on the other hand, see a clear win for the Wizards!
