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The Wizards take on the Knicks in the final game before the All-Star break.
Game Info
Madison Square Garden | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSW | 1500 AM
Probable Starters
Wizards (32-24): G - Satoransky, G - Beal, F - Porter Jr., F - Morris, C - Gortat
Knicks (23-35): G - Jack, G - Hardaway Jr., F - Beasley, F - Thomas, C - Kanter
Wizards: John Wall (Knee - Out), Tim Frazier (Nose - TBD), Tomas Satoransky (Head - TBD)
Knicks: Kristaps Porzingis (Knee - Out), Ron Baker (Shoulder - Out), Joakim Noah (Not With Team)
Storylines
Last Game Before Break
After three days off, the Wizards head to New York for their final game before the All-Star break. The team will then have a week off before they play again next Thursday night in Cleveland. This will be the Wizards first trip to MSG of the regular season after they beat the Knicks in D.C. in early January. The Wizards have won seven straight games at MSG, dating back to the 2012-13 season. They have also beaten the Knicks in seven straight games overall, dating back to the 2015-16 season. The Wizards have won four of their last five road games and have gone 6-2 over their last eight games overall.
The last game before the All-Star break can be tricky, as many players have already made their All-Star plans for the week after, but the key for the Wizards will be to stay focused on the game and not let that be a distraction.
Knicks Try to End Slide
The Knicks enter tonight's game on a seven-game losing streak and have scored over 100 points just once in those seven games. Last week, they lost their All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis for the season with an ACL injury, a crushing blow to one of the league's brightest young stars. Tim Hardaway Jr., who missed the last Wiz - Knicks game in January, has really struggled to shoot the ball over the team's current losing streak, shooting just 26% from the field and 11% from 3-point range (5/44), while reaching double figures just once. They just acquired point guard Emmanuel Mudiay from the Nuggets and he had a double-double in his Knicks' debut on Sunday (14p-10a). The Knicks once looked like a playoff contender this year, but without their All-Star forward, they will most likely be back in the lottery this May.
Wizards Could be Undermanned
In Saturday's game in Chicago, the Wizards lost three different players to injuries and illness, and that was after they already started the game without John Wall (knee) and Keef Morris (illness). There is hope that Tomas Satoransky will be available to play this game after he cleared the first part of concussion protocol, but the team's other point guard, Tim Frazier, may not be able to go after he suffered a broken nose and had surgery on Sunday. If both guards were unable to play, the team may have to go outside the organization to add a point guard for the game, but if one of them can go, the team could try and get through the game using some creative lineups. The Wiz experimented with Otto Porter Jr. at point guard in Monday's practice and if called upon he would be ready to take on some point guard duties. Morris didn't practice on Monday, but the team hopes he'll be recovered from his illness in time for Wednesday's game, along with Ian Mahinmi, who left Saturday's game at halftime, also feeling under the weather.
The All-Star break seems to be coming at just the right time.
Up next, the Wizards have a week off and will return to action on February 22nd in Cleveland. (8:00 p.m.)