Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: Third Spell with Wizards
By Chris Guest
A game preview ahead of the Atlanta Hawks third meeting with the tumultuous Washington Wizards.
For the third time this season, the Atlanta Hawks will face off against the Washington Wizards – though the team looks very different from the first two times these teams faced off.
In the first game, on December 5, the Trevor Ariza had yet to be completed, so Kelly Oubre was still a major contributing factor to a 14-point Washington win at State Farm Arena.
Then, in Ariza’s first game with the Wiz on December 18, Washington struggled to get any kind of consistency going on either end of the floor as Ariza got integrated into the Wizards’ “system.” John Wall had a terrible game, and the Wizards seemed vaguely uninterested in the game’s outcome and were roundly defeated 118 to 110.
More from Soaring Down South
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
Now, the two teams will face off for their penultimate matchup of the season, with a far different roster outlook.
The Wizards have announced that John Wall will undergo surgery on his left heel that will cause him to miss 6-8 months –ending his season in 2018-19.
Wall has long been an injury risk throughout his highly productive career. Now, however, the Wizards have to contend with paying an injury-plagued, aging point guard for the next 5 years on a supermax deal. Something that will likely drag the team down as the season progresses – though the Wizards have played well without Wall in the past with the more active and engaged Tomas Satoransky filling in capably for the Wall-Star when he’s missed time.
Similarly, putting the ball in Bradley Beal’s hands usually results in good things for Washington as well.
The game against the Hawks will also mark the return of Otto Porter, who has missed a few recent games with a bruised knee.
Next. 5 Atlanta Hawks New Year's Resolutions. dark
This game versus the Wizards tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST.