San Antonio Spurs vs Washington Wizards Prediction: Improved Wizards look to down loss-happy Spurs

NBA midseason is a window that puts us closer to the NBA trade deadline and we are just a week or so away from the busy period. There are a lot of rumors dominating the headlines. There are teams that are in dire need of trades to fix their depth. Two of those teams, the San Antonio Spurs and the Washington Wizards in a cross-Conference battle.

The Spurs come into this game after a hard-fought 118:128 loss against the Phoenix Suns despite a 34 points performance by Keldon Johnson. This was the fifth straight loss for the team and they have now lost 10 of their last 11 games. This has been a common theme for the team all season long and because of that, they have now been reduced to 36 losses and 14 wins. This is an expected performance from a team that is full of inexperienced players.

Keldon has consistently scored 20 points or more and has been a dependable option, averaging in the 22-24 range for most parts. Their fortunes have dwindled further since Devin Vassell has been out, who has been averaging around 20 points. Jakob Poelt has led the rebounding and blocks end whereas Tre Jones has led the assists front. Defensively, the team has been struggling whereas their offense has been inconsistent outside of Keldon.

The Wizards enter the game after defeating the Pelicans 113:103 as Daniel Gafford lined up 21 points and 12 rebounds. They have won five in a row and they have done much better since the last week of December. Since that period, San Antonio has claimed 11 wins in 16 games. However, because of a poor start, they have been still three games below the 50% win mark, with 23 losses and 26 wins.

The Wizards’ defense has tightened up too and they have conceded 105 or fewer in three of the last five games. They have also scored 110+ continuously and they have been in great touch. The Wizards have been receiving a lot of fuel from Kyle Kuzma, who is having his best season. Washington can propel itself over the 50% win mark but they have a lot of things to do.

• Spurs: OUT: Devin Vassell. QUESTIONABLE: Romeo Langford. PROBABLE: Josh Richardson;
• Wizards: OUT: Anthony Gill.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Kyle Kuzma(28-34 Points), Keldon Johnson(26-33 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Jakob Poeltl(9-12 Rebounds), Deni Advija(9-11 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Tre Jones(6-8 Assists), Bradley Beal(5-7 Assists).

The Spurs have been in terrible shape all season long whereas the Wizards improved play means they can’t be taken lightly anymore. This is a big-time opportunity for the Wizs to get their record to further heights. Kuzma is going to be a tough match-up for the Spurs and he may be in for a 30 points night. At any rate, I predict a scoreline of 127:118 scoreline in favor of the Spurs.