The Nets (10-25) and the Wizards (8-25) meet in DC tonight for a rematch from a game late in December where the Nets took care of the Wiz, 97-89. The Wizards were without John Wall that night, and he should be playing tonight, though that was also before the Gilbert Arenas trade. Here are a couple of things to look for:
Don’t be Momentum Killers: The Nets are coming off what may be their finest win of the season on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls. They were up, nearly lost it, fought off a better team and came away with the win on a putback with about 5 seconds left from Sasha Vujacic. If the Nets have taught me anything this year, it’s that they’re only as good as their latest game. This is a team they should beat on paper. But will they?
Beware of Role Players: John Wall is the household name on Washington, but the two guys I think will have the biggest impact offensively are Nick Young and Andray Blatche. Young had 22 points the first time these teams met, while Blatche was inactive, but has a history of torching the Nets.
Stop With the Fouls: Derrick Favors can score and rebound in the NBA. I think that much is clear. The problem is he can’t stay on the floor long enough. His first NBA start was marred with four fouls in under 10 minutes. It’s all part of the learning curve, yes, but he’s got to demonstrate more discipline than this. I think he should play with the starting lineup for the rest of the season (or until he’s traded) but this is an area where he needs to start demonstrating improvement soon, regardless.
