Open Thread: Game 14

Regular Season Game 14
Hawks (5-6) vs. Wizards (4-9)
Verizon Center
7 PM
CSN and NBA League Pass

The Hawks haven't won at MCI/Verizon Center since 2003, and if that changes tonight, there will be serious problems. The Wizards desperately need wins this week against Atlanta and Charlotte at home to stop the bleeding. The Hawks started off 4-1, but have since lost 5 of 6, including a dreadful 98-79 loss to the Magic last Saturday that included an 11 point second quarter. Both teams are struggling right now and both could use wins tonight.

Hawks blogs: Impending Firestorm

The Hawks pose a lot of interesting problems on the defensive end of the court for the Wizards with Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. Johnson's the type of guard that is difficult for any team to stop, and the Wizards are going to have to stick DeShawn Stevenson on him and take their chances. Smith is a demon on the offensive glass, meaning the big guys really need to make an effort to clean up the glass.

In a lot of ways, the Hawks are Wizards-lite. The difference is that the Wizards have more reliable second and third options alongside their alpha dogs. Other than Joe Johnson, the Hawks are full of inconsistent performers. Guys like Smith, Lue, Josh Childress, and Zaza Pachulia are even more inconsistent than Wizards guys, if that's even possible.

On the other end, keep an eye on Jamison tonight. Without Marvin Williams, the Hawks have been going small with Smith at power forward. Smith is a great shot blocker, but I'm not sure he's such a great man defender. Jamison should have a ton of open shots tonight, so we'll see whether he can knock them down.

In the end, it should be a Wiz win, but it'll be pretty close.

Prediction: Wizards 107, Hawks 100

If you're online during the game, give a shout!