Tonight's Opponent: Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls (26-16)  @ Washington Wizards (10-31)

Tale of the Tape

Stats	WAS	CHI
PPG	91.49	93.83
OPP. PPG	96.78	91.19
FG%	0.421	0.439
OPP. FG%	0.439	0.426
3PT FG%	0.342	0.359
OPP. 3PT FG%	0.348	0.329
FT%	0.733	0.78
RPG	43.71	44
OPP. RPG	45.83	40.91
APG	21.54	22.81
OPP APG	21.71	18.17
TO	15.4	14.8

Stats Courtesy NBA.com



Tonight’s game is the second of four meetings between the Washington Wizards and Chicago
Bulls.   The Bulls won the first meeting, 87-77, on December 29th in Chicago.   The Bulls on the other hand have won 6 of the last 7 games. Both teams are playing back to back games.

This is "put up or shut up time" for the Wizards. They have played much better lately, but this is a big Eastern Conference match-up. This match-up is likely too much though. Wizards still have to play these guys two more times this season. This is a big opportunity  for them to make a statement.

Again though, the Bulls have only lost once this season on the road to a Eastern Conference team. So, a win tonight will not be likely. If they can upset the Bulls, this team can feed on the momentum

Predicted Winner
I hate to say it, but I think the Bulls win this. The Wizards have gotten better, but they still don't have a convincing win. A win that tells the NBA they belong. While I am hoping it comes, I have to see it to believe it.

Bulls 94 Wizards 90

Predicted Player of the Game
I have gone back and forth in my head on this one.  It is going to take a near miracle to win this. I am going with the bench.

Tonight's Opponent: Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberwolves (17-22) @ Wizards (9-31)

Tale of the Tape

Stats	WAS	MINN
PPG	90.93	94.4
OPP. PPG	96.68	96.3
FG%	0.417	0.43
OPP. FG%	0.439	0.456
3PT FG%	0.339	0.292
OPP. 3PT FG%	0.35	0.359
FT%	0.736	0.743
RPG	43.93	44.31
OPP. RPG	45.78	40.67
APG	21.35	21.76
OPP APG	21.58	21.82
TO	15.4	15.2

Stats courtesy of NBA.com

Tonight’s game is the first of two meetings between the Washington Wizards and Minnesota 

Timberwolves.  The Timberwolves won last season’s only meeting between the two teams, 93-72 

at Verizon Center. Last year the Timberwolves beat the Wizards' first in D.C. since Dec. 12, 2003, 

ending a seven-game drought. 

The Wizards are in a delicate point in the season. The west coast trip went better than many feared but not as good as anyone wanted.  A few more losses can kill any momentum this team is trying to build. To make matters worse, Beal is nursing a sore wrist. This is close to a must win for a team climbing a steep hill.

The Wolves have lost 7 of their last 8 games. They are 2-7 on the road against Eastern Conference teams.  They have seven guys on the injury list. This is hopefully a game the Wizards can take.

Predicted Winner 

This is put up or shut up time for the Wizards. The Wolves are a hurt team right now. If Washington doesn't win this, look for the season to go south.

Washington Wizards 92 Minnesota 89

Predicted Player of the Game

John Wall: I think this is time for him to make a statement.

Tonight's Opponent: Utah Jazz

Wizards 9-30 @ Jazz 22-19

Tale of the Tape

Stats	WAS	UTA
PPG	91	98.7
OPP. PPG	96.8	98.6
FG%	0.418	0.448
OPP.FG%	0.439	0.459
3PT FG%	0.338	0.373
OPP. 3PT FG%	0.352	0.376
FT%	0.736	0.768
RPG	43.74	42.4
OPP. RPG	45.64	40.8
APG	21.4	23
TO	15.4	15

Stats Courtesy NBA.com


Tonight’s game is the second and last meetings between the Washington Wizards and the Utah
Jazz.  The Jazz won the first meeting, 83-76, on November 17th at Verizon Center.  This is a much different team though, as the Wizards are finally healthy. As usual, it was a cold spell that put the Wizards away. They were down by 2 with about 8 minutes to play, Utah would then go on an 11-2 run. Game over.

The Wizards are playing their best basketball of the season. After Jordan Crawford nailed the 3 at the buzzer to beat Portland, I am looking for this team to build on their momentum. Tonight's game could be the win that will give them that momentum. It would be huge to have a winning record on this trip. Maybe a successful west coast road trip can lead to the winning streak.

Utah has won 7 of their last nine and are coming off a nice break. They last beat Cleveland on the 19th. Randy Foye, of Wizards fame, had 20 points in the win hitting 4 three pointers. Derrick Favors tied his season-high of 19 points along with grabbing eight boards.

Predicted Player of the Game
Bradley Beal struggled in his last game. So I am going to gamble on him. I don't think the rookie struggle for long. With Crawford back in form, I expect tonight the be the first time we see this team clicking on all cylinders  Well almost, when sharp shooter Cartier Martin returns, things could get interesting.

Predicted Winner
Washington 98 Jazz 91

Tonight's Opponent: Portland Trail Blazers

Wizards 8-30  @ Portland 20-20

Tale Of the Tape

Stats	WAS	POR
PPG	90.8	97.1
OPP. PPG	96.8	99.3
FG%	0.417	0.434
OPP.FG%	0.438	0.461
3PT FG%	0.336	0.338
OPP. 3PT FG%
FT%	0.736	0.771
OPP. FT%
RPG	43.7	42.2
OPP. RPG
APG	21.3	20.6
TO	15.4	14.9

Stats Courtesy of NBA.com

Tonight’s game is the second of two meetings between the Washington Wizards and Portland
Trail Blazers.  The Wizards won the first meeting, 84-82, on November 28th at Verizon Center.

After a tough loss to the Clippers, The Wizards continue their west coast road trip in Portland. With the way the the team has been playing, this can hopefully be a win.

After beating Miami on January 10 and winning 4 straight, Portland has lost their last 5 games. They do keep their games close as their last 9 games have been decided by 6 points or less.

Predicted Player of the Game
I am going to go with John Wall. He has been looking better in each game. As he legs get under him, his shot is going to start to fall for him a lot more. I hope the NBA is ready.

Predicted Winner
Washington 101 Portland 97

Tonight's Opponent: The Denver Nuggets

Tonight’s game  is the first of two meetings between the Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets. The two teams will meet again on February 22nd in Washington. The Nuggets won last
season’s only meeting, 108-104, on January 20, 2012 at Verizon Center.

TALE OF THE TAPE

WAS  STATS  DEN
90.3  PPG  102.6
96.6  OPP. PPG  100.1
.415  FG %  .464
.439  OPP. FG %  .437
.330  3PT FG %  .326
.745  FT %  .683
43.7  RPG  45.9
21.2  APG  23.6
15.1  TO  15.2
Stats Courtesy of NBA.com



This is the chance for the Wizards to start a new winning streak. This is Nene's return to Denver, so this will be a special game for him. For us, this will be our first time seeing McGee. With the assist up for this team, I expect a run pretty soon. Tip off is at 9:00.

Can the Wizards Turn the Corner?

The Wizards have turned a corner, but I believe they are about to turn another corner soon. They turned the first corner right before Wall returned. It helped that they started to get healthy for the first time. Now that the team is mostly healthy. There are a few things they must to to turn the other corner and start playing to their potential.

The main thing this team needs to improve on, is closing out quarters. When the pressure intensifies, they get frantic and don't play their game anymore. It has been obvious that in their biggest problem right now.

When the game is on the line, they need to stay calm, read the situation, and then execute. It sounds simple, but it is important to remember that these guys are just starting to come together and jell. I expect this to get better soon.

The next thing to focus on is defense. Down the stretch, it should be “No Layups Allowed”. Make the opposition earn their points the hard way. Send them to the line and make them make free throws. Someone needs to step up down the stretch in that role. I think it will be Booker or Singleton, or at least that would make sense.

It is almost too late to make the playoffs, but I want the wizards to make it interesting. It is important to change their perception around the league either way. A trip to the playoffs would be great. But long term, a shot at another lottery pick could be nice. For now, if these guys can turn the corner, The league had better look out.

A New Beginning

That's right. The sun is finally about to rise. For the Washington Wizards, the return of John Wall is important for many different reasons. Most importantly a team can't evaluate itself correctly with out it's centerpiece. That for another conversation. Today I am focused on the fans.

For the fans, John Wall's return is like a man in the desert coming up on a spring of water. It feels long overdue. I am going to be watching tonight's game very closely. Not only for Wall, but for what this team looks like together (I hope Crawford will be able to play). It will take a few games for things to get rolling, but this is "A New Beginning" as Wall correctly labeled it.

I know quite a few fans don't think Wall good enough, or hasn't improved enough. Well now it is time to find out. I am expecting to see many opinions on him change. Van Gundy, Barkley soon they will be singing a different tune. DC is a sports hub. For the Wizards, this is a welcome new beginning.

http://www.nba.com/wizards/video/2013/01/11/Wallpractice011113wmv-2351570

John Wall to Return Soon, What Does that Mean?

John Wall is expected to make his return to the Wizards soon. I feel like I am one of the few people that think this team can have a big turn-around. While i don't agree with how this team is constructed, I do think they can go on a run once Wall gets full strength.

Regardless of what happens with this team, they need Wall to come back and look good running this team. My best case scenario is for the team to come on late and win quite a few games but miss the playoff. Then the least likely part needs to happen. they would have to win the lottery and a add stud (like Bennett, Noel, or Muhammad). I don't know, I'm not a scout.

 Regardless of what happens, I still feel like this team needs to be more successful in drafts, whether it is a top pick, a late first, or second round pick. They need to stop being viewed as the organization that can't get out of it's own way. I don't want to hear, "The Learners are Cheap". I am getting the feeling Monumental Sports is cheap.

If Wall is unable to return to form and continue to grow, the dark ages may well be ahead for this team. I don't have faith in this teams front office and right now I am just hoping they get lucky. Ted will keep Grunfeld here for his whole contract. To me, this is all I have to hope for at this point.