The Wizards hope to show progress against the new-look Knicks in their final games before the real ones start.
Game info
When: Friday, October 18th at 7 p.m.
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C.
How to watch: Monumental
Injuries
Washington—Malcolm Brogdon (OUT), Saddiq Bey (OUT), Jonas Valanciunas (game-time decision), Bilal Coulibaly (GTD), Alex Sarr (GTD)
New York—Jacob Toppin (GTD), Landry Shamet (GTD), Josh Hart (GTD), Karl-Anthony Towns (GTD), Jalen Brunson (GTD)
What to watch for
- It looks like both teams will choose to rest some of their key players with eight players listed as game-time decisions heading into the matchup. I disagree with the logic of holding players out of the final preseason game. If a player gets injured in the first preseason game, it will feel just as silly as they get hurt in the last one. But c’est la vie. Even the key players who get on the floor will likely see very few minutes.
- Key players sitting out means an opportunity for players hoping to make the team roster or (in most cases) to solidify a spot and role in the G-League. For the Wizards, players like Patrick Baldwin Jr and Tristan Vukcevic could show that they belong on an NBA floor. This could also be Johnny Davis’s last chance to impress and remind people why he was a first-round pick.
- Can the Wizards get a win? Look, we all know that the 2024-25 Washington Wizards will lose a lot of games. This preseason game doesn’t count toward the standings and, therefore, Washington can win without worrying about the lottery.