The Houston Rockets prepare to battle gritty Washington Wizards team at the capital. James Harden will try to lead his team against the Wizards on Wednesday night.
For the team home, John Wall and Bradley Beal will try outlast the quarterbacks of Rockets to continue their winning streak. In their last game, Wizards won against Miami Heat with a final score of 114-103.
Time: 7:00pm ET, December 9, 2015
Stadium: Verizon Center
TV: CSN Washington/ ROOT
Radio: WNEW 99.1FM, 790 AM
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
After losing against Brooklyn Nets, the Rockets travel to Washington, D.C. to face Wizards. The team had big disappointments at the start of the season. They made it to the conference finals last year in a loaded Western Conference, but the team is currently in the middle of the conference standings. They only won 10 out of 12 games.
The coach that led them to conference finals, Kevin McHale, was fired back in November, and J.B. Bickerstaff has taken over interim coaching duties. Houston led in both points and assists by last year's MVP runner-up James Harden, while center Dwight Howard anchored the defense for the team.
In an article published in SB Nation, it listed Houston's keys to win the game. The team has to run Harden and Arizona off the three-point line to beat Washington Wizards. Trevor Ariza and James Harden have been historically good three point shooters and make good shot selections per game.
As a team, the Rockets make 30.8 three-point attempts per game, while the Wizards only produce 24.4 three-point attempts every night. In particular, guard/forward Ariza has wide array of offensive skills to make life difficult for defenders. He can handle the ball on the floor and can shoot from the outside.
For Harden, he can do one-on-one plays, which can easily put score on the board. "The Beard" has also ability to get fouls from his defenders that would send him to the free-throw line.
On other hand, the Washington Wizards has one day to prepare for the game. They also won their last game, so fans expect the team is still carrying the winning attitude heading to Wednesday's matchup.
For Washington's keys to win the game, they should attack the basket and use their speed. Houston is one of the worst teams in the league at defending transition plays. The Wizards, meanwhile, are one of the best teams in the league at scoring in transition. John Wall and Bradley Beal have the ability to drive the ball straight to the basket relentlessly. The Wizards need to capitalize every time Houston turns the ball over and drive hard to the basket.
Which side are you on? Let's find out who is the better team on Wednesday night.
