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The Wizards continue their three-game New York road trip on Tuesday, taking on the Knicks at 7:30 P.M. at Madison Square Garden. Washington opened the trip on Sunday night with a seven-point loss to the Nets while New York is coming off a one-point overtime loss to the Sixers.
GAME INFO
Madison Square Garden | 7:30 P.M. | NBCSW | 1500 AM
PROBABLE STARTERS
Wizards: G – Russell Westbrook, G – Bradley Beal, G – Garrison Mathews, F – Rui Hachimura, C – Alex Len
Knicks: G – Immanuel Quickley, G – RJ Barrett, F – Reggie Bullock, F – Julius Randle, C – Nerlens Noel
INJURY REPORT
Wizards: Davis Bertans (right calf strain – out), Thomas Bryant (left ACL injury – out), Ish Smith (right quadriceps strain – out)
Knicks: Elfrid Payton (right hamstring strain – questionable), Immanuel Quickley (sore left ankle – probable), Austin Rivers (personal reasons – out), Mitchell Robinson (left ankle sprain – probable)
STORYLINES
Wizards’ bigs coming off strong performance in Brooklyn
The Wizards’ collective frontcourt unit is coming off one of its best games of the season Sunday against the Nets. Alex Len posted a season-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds and a pair of blocks. Rui Hachimura notched his second 20-10 game of month playing a season-high 40 minutes. Off the bench, Robin Lopez finished with 12 points and five rebounds in just 19 minutes. As a trio, they combined for 52 points on 23-32 (.718) shooting, 23 rebounds and three blocks. In the Wizards’ last meeting with the Knicks, Len, Hachimura and Lopez combined for just 23 points. Similar production to that shown on Sunday night throughout this week’s two-game set against the Knicks would provide a necessary boost for a Wizards’ offense that has leaned heavily on Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook’s production out of the guard positions.
Wizards assess offense without Bertans
Sunday night, the Wizards began what will be their first extended stretch without sharpshooter Davis Bertans this season. Bertans is expected to miss approximately the next two weeks with a right calf strain, a blow to a Wizards unit already struggling to spread the floor and generate offense from beyond the arc. Heading into a matchup against a Knicks defense that allows the third-fewest made 3-pointers per game, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks and Bradley Beal discussed alternatives the Wizards are taking to generate reliable offense.
“We want to shoot threes,” Brooks said Monday after practice. “We want to make them. We want to space the floor. But we have to go with what we have right now…The way you can counter it – and the way we have been countering it – is we’ve been trying to get to the paint. Getting to the paint allows you layups, allows you dunks, allows you drop-offs, it allows you offensive rebounds with our bigs and it allows you free throw attempts. Those are the ways that we have to counter (3-point struggles).”
“Getting out in transition and getting easy points – attacking the basket,” Beal said. “Those are two things. But we can’t get out in transition if we’re taking the ball out and not getting stops. Obviously being aggressive on offense and understanding the foul situation, foul count and trying to get to the free throw line…taking what the defense gives us and being confident in the shots we get.”
Randle, Knicks coming off games against East leaders
The Knicks enter Tuesday’s game having lost three of their last four games, though all three losses have come by five points or less at the hands of two of the best teams in the league: the Sixers and Nets. New York lost 117-112 in Brooklyn a week ago, 99-96 to the Sixers one night later and again to the Sixers by one point in overtime on Sunday night. Mixed into that run was a 94-93 win over the Magic. All season, the Knicks’ fourth-ranked defense has kept them competitive and firmly in the playoff conversation. At 21-22 on the season New York ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference entering a two-game run against Washington. Julius Randle, who played in his first All-Star Game earlier this month, has been the driving force behind New York’s success all season. In his last five games, Randle is averaging 24.0 points per game on 41.3% from the field and 44.4% from three, 11.2 rebounds and 9.2 assists – including a career-high 17 dimes against the Magic last week. In the Wizards’ one prior matchup with the Knicks this season, Randle tallied 24 points, 18 rebounds and four assists.