@oheyijust
After losing a nail-biter to the Golden State Warriors 114-107 at home last night, the Wizards (33-24) look to end their 4 game losing skid tonight when they take on the Timberwolves (12-43)
at Target Center. A blowout would be nice to show everybody in the league the Wizards are for real, and they can battle through adversity even when they are down. The Wizards should win this game, but they are going to need to follow these keys if they want to win their first game since February 9th.
The defense since the all star break has been horrific, as the Wizards have given up more then 100 points in their three games since the break ended. They are going to need to hold the Timberwolves to less than 100 points if they want to win this game, assuming the offense will be able to flow as it was in the Golden State match-up. This should not be that hard to do, as the Timberwolves are only averaging 97.9 points per game, and at times struggle to score the ball.
The 26 turnovers are what lost the game against Golden State, so taking care of the basketball is a must if the Wizards want to be able to pull out a win in Minnesota. The Timberwolves average 8.4 steal per game, currently the 8th best in the league, so the Wiz need to avoid careless turnovers to ensure they keep turnovers at a premium. On the season, the Wizards are averaging 15.2 turnovers per game, so careless turnovers must be avoided at all costs tonight.
Making free throws is going to be a must if Washington wants to end their losing skid, and begin a hot streak. The game could be tight, and the Wizards are going to need to make free throws to get themselves out of moments where they are struggling to score the ball. They are currently shooting 74.4% from the line on the season, which is 20th in the NBA. Improving upon this statistics is not only a must for the rest of this season, but is a must if they want to compete for a championship once playoffs begin.
If the Wizards can do these three things against a Timberwolves team that is obviously sub-par, they should easily be able to win this game. If they struggle to get stops on the defensive end, give the ball away often, and miss free throws, then fans can expect a close game. Getting a win here is important to go 10 games above .500 and stay relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff scenario. They should be able to do so easily, but with the way they have been playing over the past month, you never know what could happen.
