The Washington Wizards (1-3) are set to battle the Heat (1-4) in Miami for their first-ever In-Season Tournament game. Can the Wizards start Group Play with a win? Here’s everything you need to know.
INJURY REPORT:
WIZARDS:
Daniel Gafford (left ankle sprain — questionable)
Corey Kispert (left ankle sprain — questionable)
HEAT:
Caleb Martin (left knee tendinosis — out)
Jimmy Butler (right knee tendinitis — probable)
IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT REFRESHER
Friday is the first Wizards game that will be part of the new NBA In-Season Tournament, so let’s go through a little refresher before the fun starts.
Group Play is the first stage of the In-Season Tournament. That’s what the Wizards in Miami will begin on Friday night. Each group consists of four teams. The Heat, Bucks, Knicks, and Hornets were put into East Group B, which also included the Wizards.
The teams with the best records, plus one wild card team from each conference, advance to the Knockout Rounds. Each of those teams will play each other once for a total of four games. There, the final team standing will be awarded the inaugural NBA Cup in a single-elimination competition.
KYLE KUZMA EMBRACING HIS ROLE
Kyle Kuzma knows he’s stepping into a new role this season. As the main weapon on offense, he’ll have loads of attention on him every possession, and he’ll be responsible for making the best play possible and creating offense through all of that attention. So far, so good for Kuzma. He seems to be getting more and more comfortable each game.
On Wednesday night in Atlanta, Kuzma dropped 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field in just 25 minutes of action. Even more impressive, he also added nine rebounds, six assists, and only turned the ball over one time. He was in control, making the right reads, and putting the team in a good position.
On Friday against the Heat, Kuzma will need to do even more of that if the Wizards want to pull out a win.
Ceasing to be Tyler Hero
Heat guard Tyler Herro has returned to the court with ferocity to begin the 2023–24 season after missing a significant portion of the previous one due to injury. He has put up insane offensive figures. Herro averaged 26.2 points on.441/.432/.875 shooting splits, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in nearly 39 minutes per game in Miami’s first five games.
On Friday night, Herro must be the center of attention for the Wizards defense.
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