Wizards chase momentum after Pistons upset, betting on youth and new acquisitions against struggling Nets. Anthony Davis out, but rookie Will Riley shines.
The Washington Wizards (14-36) are set to take on the Brooklyn Nets (13-37) Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM.
Washington is coming off a shocking 126-117 road victory over the number one seeded Detroit Pistons on Thursday, and will be looking to build upon their strong momentum.
Today's matchup against Brooklyn is the front end of a back-to-back, as they will take on the Miami Heat on Sunday.
Washington has had a crazy week so far, as they acquired superstar big man Anthony Davis from the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
With the Davis trade temporarily affecting Washington's depth, it opened the door for unlikely players to step up.
Rookie forward Will Riley has been playing his best basketball of his young career, as he is averaging 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals a game over his last four games. Riley has also shot the ball at an extremely high level, as he has gone 45.5% from the field and 44% from deep over the four game sample size. The rookie will get another opportunity to dazzle against a young and inexperienced Brooklyn squad.
Washington will once again rely on their youth of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly and others to lead the team as they will be without Trae Young and Anthony Davis for some time, as Davis is supposed to be shut down for the remainder of the season for injury related reasons.
Washington will likely be without rising star and rookie shooting guard, Tre Johnson III as he suffered an ankle sprain in a match against the Milwaukee Bucks a few weeks ago.
George and Sarr are both questionable, as they suffered minor injuries during the match against Detroit.
Newest Wizards acquisitions D'Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum will all be out tonight, but could be set to make their Wizards debut in the next couple of days.
Washington should once again, rely on their youth and raw talent to propel them past arguably the weakest roster in the NBA.
Brooklyn is led by Michael Porter Jr. who is having a career-best season, however, they elected to keep him at the trade deadline. Brooklyn gets key contributions from their rookies Egor Demin, Danny Wolf, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell, and Nolan Traore.
Washington will be back in action tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 PM ET where they will take on the Miami Heat at home.