The Knicks (14-61) currently hold the worst record in the league, while the Wizards (42-33) hold the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Tonight’s game should go in favor of the Wizards, especially if they are bale to jump out to a huge lead as they did in the 106-93 win over Philly. Getting these wins that sometimes are underestimated are necessary to landing good playoff positioning.
The Knicks have lost their last eight games, and would love to extend that streak to nine so they can continue to hold the best odds to land the first pick in the draft. The Wizards on the other hand have a small one-game winning streak, and would love to extend the streak to get home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Wittman needs to do something tonight that he usually does a very poor job of doing, getting this Wizards squad ready to play an opponent they are obviously going to beat.
Both Wizards forwards, Paul Pierce and Nene, will be out for rest in the matchup. This will be good to get the veterans rested for the playoffs, but will also give some role players and opportunity to shine. Otto Porter and Kris Humphries or Drew Gooden III are likely to be the starters tonight, and will look to prove to Wittman they are a reliable option off the bench in pressure situations.
Tonight needs to be looked at as a must win game for the Wizards as they look to stay hot, and get hotter for a long playoff run. If they want to be able to beat teams like the Atlanta Hawks or Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wiz are going to have to be able to easy teams. An addition to the win column is an exception for the Wizards from all fans tonight, and anything less would really need to put into question what happened.
