The scrimmages have come to an end, and now it’s time for the real thing. The seeding games begin on Thursday in the NBA. For the Washington Wizards(24-40), things get underway on Friday when they play the Phoenix Suns. As they enter the final eight games of the regular season, Washington hopes to make up some ground on the eighth-seeded Magic and seventh-seeded Nets. The goal is for the Wizards to get within four games of the Magic or Nets to force a play-in game. Currently, Washington is five and a half games behind the Magic and six games behind the Nets.
Obviously, without their two top scorers, Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans, making the playoffs will be an arduous task for Washington. As we predict the final eight games for the Wizards, know, we are all guessing at this point because no one knows what’s going to happen in the bubble.
So, how will the Wizards do in Orlando? Let’s take a look.
Suns-Wizards
Washington beat the Suns on the road 140-132 back in November behind Bradley Beal’s 35 points. However, as we all know, Beal won’t be walking through those doors in Orlando. In that contest, Thomas Bryant scored 23 points, and Ish Smith poured in 21 points off the bench, and these two will play a bigger role without Beal and Bertans. Obviously, shutting down Devin Booker won’t be easy, and on paper, the Suns have more talent, and like Washington, is fighting to make the playoffs, which makes this game a tough one to call. But, one thing about the Wizards is they play hard and are scrappy. Expect another high scoring affair. However, the Wizards will find a way to get it done.
The Wizards start 1-0 in the bubble.
Wizards-Nets
If the Wizards want to make the playoffs, they can’t afford to lose this one. On paper and in terms of talent, this is a battle of the two worst teams in the bubble. Brooklyn is without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, and more. The Nets don’t have much talent on their roster right now, and Washington appears to be the better team. The Wizards are 2-0 against the Nets this season, including a 110-106 victory over Brooklyn at home back in late February. It’s going to be difficult for the Nets to win a game in Orlando. This game against the Wizards is their best opportunity to get a victory, but because the Wizards are the team chasing, expect Washington to be motivated for this one and get the win.
The Wizards are now 2-0.
Pacers-Wizards
After initially opting out of Orlando, Pacers G Victor Oladipo changed his mind and played reasonably well in the team’s scrimmages. Unfortunately for Indiana, they may not have Domantas Sabonis, who injured his foot in Orlando. These two teams played very early in the season, and Indiana got the victory at home.
While not official, Indiana will probably have its starting backcourt of Oladipo and Malcolm Brogdon back together. That backcourt gives the Pacers a clear advantage, and like Washington, the Pacers always play hard. Additionally, Indiana and Philadelphia are tied for the fifth spot in the East. In reality, the Pacers might want to drop to the sixth spot to avoid the Bucks in the second round of the playoffs, something to watch.
Indiana is the better team and should win this game. Expect the Pacers to get the victory.
The Wizards fall to 2-1.
76ers-Wizards
Washington has had some decent success against the 76ers over the past few years, especially at home. Philadelphia has not won in Washington since 2013, and this is considered a home game for the Wizards(not sure how much that helps). However, If Philadelphia is completely healthy, the talent gap between the two teams is enormous. Based on what we have seen in Orlando with Ben Simmons at the four spot, the 76ers could be a formidable team in the bubble.
Washington will have to play one of its best games to win this one, and even if they do, I don’t think it matters. Philly gets this one, and the Wizards fall to 2-2 in the bubble.
Wizards-Pelicans
The Pelicans are an interesting team entering the bubble. This team is a very talented bunch, and after missing some time in Orlando due to a family emergency, rookie Zion Williamson is back. These two teams will matchup for the first time this season. At this point, we are making an educated guess. New Orleans, like the Wizards, are on the outside of the playoffs. If New Orleans wants to make the playoffs, they need to win, which means they can’t lose any winnable games.
The Pelicans win this one. Washington falls to 2-3 in Orlando.
Wizards-Thunder
Before the season was suspended in March, the Thunder were playing some excellent basketball. Oklahoma City had won eight of their last ten games and was on a three-game winning streak. These two teams met once this season, and Washington beat OKC on the road back in October. In that game, Bryant(21 points) and Hachimura(19 points) had success. Currently, OKC is fifth in the West. They have an outside chance of getting the third spot(2.5 behind Nuggets).
OKC is a good basketball team and will probably have something to play for in this game. Expect the Thunder to get revenge from earlier in the season and defeat Washington.
The Wizards are now 2-4 with two games to play.
Bucks-Wizards
By the time we get to this point, Milwaukee will probably have nothing to play for, making it meaningless to the Bucks. Milwaukee is six and a half games up on the Raptors for the Eastern Conference’s best record, so it would take an epic collapse for Milwaukee not to be the number one seed. Forget what happened when these two teams met in the regular season(Milwaukee 2-0 against Wiz), Washington will be battling for their playoff lives, and the Bucks will be on cruise control, which means Washington gets the victory and moves to 3-4 in the bubble.
Wizards-Celtics
This game is the season finale for both teams. Before the league suspended the season, these two teams split the season series. Boston is currently the third seed in the East, and barring anything dramatic, will probably stay there. The Celtics are two and a half games up on the fourth-seeded Heat and are three games behind the second-seeded Raptors. Therefore, this could be another situation where the Wizards could face a team that may not need to win.
Luck will be on the Wizards’ side because this is another game they steal and move to 4-4 in the bubble.
In our opinion, Washington finishes the season 28-44. Remember, they only need to get within four games of the eighth-seeded team to be eligible for the play-in game. When you look at Brooklyn, who are six games up on Washington, there is no way that team can win more than two games in the bubble.
Therefore, we believe the Nets will drop to the eighth spot in the conference. To make the playoffs, Washington, as the ninth-seeded team, would have to beat Brooklyn twice, while the Nets would only have to beat the Wizards once.
While it won’t be easy to beat any team twice in such a short span, the Wizards will have a great shot to do it against Brooklyn.
All this could be wishful thinking, but hey, anything can happen.
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