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There are just five games left in the regular seasons for the Washington Wizards, who were just recently eliminated from playoff contention.
What’s left for the Wizards is to see if Bradley Beal will make an All-NBA team, and more specifically if they can take down one of the top teams in the NBA.
The Nuggets clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013 and have won eight of their last ten. They’re also tied atop the Western Conference with the Warriors, and they will likely want to win this one so they can take over first if Golden State loses their Sunday night game.
The Wizards-Nuggets regular season matchup takes place on Saturday, March 31 at 8:00 p.m. at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington.
Wizards at Nuggets
Sunday, March 31, at 8 p.m. EDT
How to watch: NBC Sports Washington, MyTeams
What to watch for
- All-NBA: Wizards star Bradley Beal and Nuggets star Nikola Jokic are both in the middle of races to be on All-NBA teams. If Beal gets it, he would be eligible for the supermax, while Jokic has a chance to be the first Nuggets player to make first-team All-NBA since David Thompson did it in 1977-78.
- Evaluating for the future: The Wizards now have an opportunity to use the last five games as a way to prepare for next season. As Chase Hughes wrote, Washington can tinker with combinations and rotations of players to see which could potentially contribute to 2019-20.
- Playing spoiler: The Nuggets can move up to 1st place in the Western Conference standings should the Golden State Warriors lose their Sunday night game. Can the Wizards do it?
Video you must see
Last time these teams met
Denver defeated Washington, 113-108 on March 21. Jokic led the Nuggets with 15 points, 11 assists and six rebounds and the team had eight different players scoring in double digits. Beal led the Wizards with a game-high 25 points (10-19 FG) to go with eight assists and three steals, while Thomas Bryant added 22 points and eight rebounds.
Stat to know
31-6: The home record for the Nuggets this year. That number doesn’t bode well for a Wizards team that is just 9-30 on the road and playing for a team that wants that No. 1 seed.
More Wizards News
- Evaluation Time: With playoff chances gone, Beals looks ahead
- 5 Questions: Now that playoff hopes are dashed, what questions remain?
- Ted Leonsis speaks: How to mold the Wizards after the Capitals
