Denver Nuggets vs Washington Wizards Prediction: The Wizards mimicking last season woes

NBA is on and when it comes to prediction scenarios, it is one of the hardest scenarios to get hold of. Yes, it is true that it stands true for most sporting tournaments but in the NBA, the championship deck shuffles constantly and it is difficult to see which teams can rise and falls. Anyway, one of the easiest predictions these days have been the Washington Wizards losing, will this be the case again as they take on the offensively loaded Denver Nuggets?

The Nuggets enter the fray after beating the Jazz 115:110 as Nikola Jokic dipped in 31 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds to continue his peerless NBA career. The Nuggets have won two in a row and they had lost three in a row before that. Overall, the Nuggets have won 16 and lost 10 games, which is an improved effort from last season and they’d wish to finish in the top four in the West to at least get the home court advantage in the first round.

The Nuggets’ defense has struggled and they have been worst in terms of protecting the field goals, conceding around 49%. However, they have also been the best shooting team to make up ground on the offensive end, Jokic continues to lead the team but having Bruce Brown, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Bones Hyland, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Jeff Green has helped as the team awaits the return of defensive dynamo Michael Porter Jr.

The Wizards enter the game after losing 100:112 against the Brooklyn Nets despite a 22 points outing by Will Barton. This was the Wizards’ seventh loss in a row and as a result, they have fallen to 17 losses in 27 games. Like the last season, Washington has lost their way after a decent start and they are suffering losses at home and away alike. At this rate, we may see a spiral of trades.

Kyle Kuzma, Kristaps Porzingis, and Bradley Beal all average in excess of 20 points which usually is a great decision but that haven’t been the case at all. Despite having such heavyweights, the team lacks scoring depth. On the defensive end, the inside defense has been decent but the three-point line has been uncovered when the team has conceded 37.4% which is the biggest matter of concern.

• Nuggets: OUT: Michael Porter Jr, Collin Gillespie;
• Wizards: OUT: Delon Wright, Rui Hachimura. QUESTIONABLE: Bradley Beal, Kristaps Porzingis, Anthony Gill, Monte Morris.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Nikola Jokic(30+ Points), Kristaps Porzingis(24-28 Points)-QUES, Kyle Kuzma(23-26 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Nikola Jokic(12-14 Rebounds), Kristaps Porzingis(10-13 Rebounds)-QUES);
• Expected Leading Playmaker: Nikola Jokic(10-13 Assists).

The Wizards have played awful basketball lately and seems like their woes will only deepen from here, it also means that some trades can also happen to address the issue. The Nuggets have been beaming on the offensive end but their defense leaves a lot to be desired. Despite that, I’d back the Nuggets to win big here. I predict a scoreline of 120:110 in favor of the Nuggets.