In under an hour, the Washington Wizards and Oklahoma City Thunder are set to do battle. It'll be a great matchup of John Wall and Russell Westbrook, but there's quite a bit more surrounding this game. For everything you need, look no further. Below is the live stream link, betting line, TV schedule, a preview and prediction.
Game Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Channel: FS Oklahoma HD, CSN
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Live Stream: NBA League Pass ($6.99 for individual game)
Free Live Stream: Stream2U
Betting Line: -10 OKC; 223 O/U
Mentioned above, this game has a couple of storylines outside of an elite point-guard matchup in Wall vs. Westbrook.
The first is, of course, the sad passing of the brother, Rick, of Wizards head coach Randy Wittman. He passed away recently, and Wittman will be taking off the next two games (tonight and Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors) to be with family and mourn his brother's loss.
Surely, that will add a bit of fuel to the Wizards tonight in support of their coach.
But also, this game represents the last time these two squads will meet in the 2015-16 NBA season. That holds bigger implications, as this is the last time the Wizards have a first-hand opportunity to show Thunder star and D.C. native Kevin Durant why he should join the roster.
Obviously, the Wizards will go full out on trying to bring Durant in. He's a top-five NBA player and has clear ties to the organization and community. If this drastic shift were to happen, the Wizards would have one of the best rosters in the league as he would team up with John Wall -- a pass first point guard, despite having to be their top scorer -- and Bradley Beal, a great young two-guard. But is that prospect enough?
Beal himself is coming off of an injury and will not be in the starting lineup once again in this game. However, he will come off of the bench and have a 28-minute limit.
As far as the play on the floor is concerned, the Thunder are big favorites at home. These two teams figure to match up pretty well across the board, even though the Thunder are clearly more talented overall. Personally, I think it'll be a closer game than many think, and it'll keep the possibility alive for a Durant homecoming -- however, slim it may be.
Prediction: Thunder 106, Wizards 103
