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Following a three-game road trip to start the season, the Wizards are back in the nation’s capital to face the Rockets in the team’s home opener at 8:00 P.M. The Wizards will now begin a three-game homestand, while the Rockets are starting a four-game road trip. Washington has won the last two matchups in D.C. between these two teams, including last season’s 135-131 overtime thriller. Of note, Troy Brown Jr. will make his season debut for the Wizards.
Game Info
Capital One Arena | 8:00 P.M. | NBCSW | Wizards Mobile App
Probable Starters
Wizards: G – Ish Smith, G – Bradley Beal, F – Isaac Bonga, F – Rui Hachimura, C – Thomas Bryant
Rockets: G – Russell Westbrook, G – James Harden, F – Danuel House Jr., F – P.J. Tucker, C – Clint Capela
Injury Report
Wizards: C.J. Miles (left foot rehab – out), Jordan McRae (Mallet finger – out), John Wall (left Achilles rehab – out), Ian Mahinmi (right Achilles strain – out), Admiral Schofield (G League assignment - out)
Rockets: Michael Frazier (right ankle sprain – out), Gerald Green (left foot injury – out), Nenê (adductor – out)
Storylines
Brown Jr. returns, rotation changes?
After missing all of training camp and the preseason with a left calf strain, Troy Brown Jr. will make his season debut on Wednesday. Brown is likely to come off the bench for now, with Isaac Bonga still starting against the Rockets. Once Jordan McRae and C.J. Miles return in November, the Wizards will have almost all of their rotation healthy: Ish Smith and Isaiah Thomas at point guard, Bradley Beal and McRae at shooting guard, Brown, Miles, and Bonga at small forward, Rui Hachimura and Davis Bertans at power forward, and Thomas Bryant and Moe Wagner at center.
As a result, on Tuesday, the Wizards assigned rookies Admiral Schofield and Justin Robinson to the Capital City Go-Go. With Brown’s return, coupled with Isaiah Thomas being back, the team wants the rookies to get some work in with their G League affiliate.
Defending Harden, Westbrook, and the Rockets
The Wizards will have their hands full against James Harden (29.3 PPG, 8.7 APG) and Russell Westbrook (24.3 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 9.7 APG), to say the least. The two All-Star guards have reunited in Houston after an offseason trade brought Westbrook over to the Rockets. For Harden, the Wizards need to guard his step-back, take him off his sweet spots, and defend his lobs to Clint Capela. Harden has started the season very cold from the field (28.% FG, 15.0% 3PT), but he’s shooting 95.8% from the free throw line on 16 free throw attempts per game. Westbrook may not have the same jump shot as Harden, but he will attack the rim over and over. He’s off to a great start in his first three games, shooting 50.0% from the field, 36.4% from deep, and 76.0% from the line. Both are elite playmakers and draw lots of fouls, so the Wizards will need to play disciplined defense all night.
Houston is 2-1 to begin the season, even though the team has struggled to shoot the ball from deep. The league’s notorious 3-point team is launching 45.7 triples per game, but only shooting 28.5% from deep, which is almost last in the NBA. Still, the Rockets can turn it on at any point, and that 3-point percentage is bound to increase. Along with Harden and Westbrook, Eric Gordon is a dangerous scorer off the bench. P.J. Tucker is the ultimate glue guy, and Clint Capela is a force on defense and an elite lob-catcher offensively.
Home opener
The Wizards will play in front of their home crowd for the first time this season. Washington is 32-26 all-time in home openers, including 10-12 at Capital One Arena. Scott Brooks is 7-2 all-time in home openers (1-2 with the Wizards). The last time Washington opened the home season versus a Western Conference opponent was the 1977-78 season, when they played the Western Conference’s Detroit Pistons. The Bullets of course won the championship that season.