Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards: Injury report, predicted lineups and starting 5s - April 21st, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
Two sides with thrilling offenses and fighting for their playoff hopes, clash on Wednesday as the Golden State Warriors complete their road trip against the Washington Wizards. Both come into the fixture on the back of wins on Monday night, with the Wizards extending their unbeaten run to five after easing past the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Fans can expect a high-scoring affair with both teams having put up over 114 points in their last ten matchups. More importantly, though, this will be the battle between two of this season's most exciting scorers, Bradley Beal and Steph Curry.
The Golden State Warriors star added yet another vintage performance to his collection on Monday, scoring 49 points in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. While Curry has put up 44.8 points a night in his last 5 games, Beal hasn't been that far behind with 32.4. His recent heroics, however, have propelled the Warriors star above Beal by .3 for the NBA's leading scorer award.
Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards: Injury report
Golden State Warriors
Kelly Oubre Jr. was able to return to the Golden State Warriors bench on Monday, which will be a boost to their offense in the season's run-in after missing the last five games. Juan Toscano-Anderson missed out, however, through the league's concussion protocols having crashed into the scorer's table on Saturday.
The Golden State Warriors' have lacked size recently with both Eric Paschall and James Wiseman sidelined. Wiseman is unfortunately out for the season while Paschall could return at the end of the Warriors road trip, which ends with this fixture.
Washington Wizards
Rui Hachimura was absent for the Washington Wizards on Monday after picking up a knee injury in Saturday's win against the Pistons. So guard Bradley Beal had to step into the frontcourt in his place and was able to drop 30 points on OKC. It is unclear at the time of writing whether the Japanese forward will be able to return against Golden State.
Thomas Bryant remains the only other absentee from the Wizards lineup, out with a torn ACL.
Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards: Predicted lineups
Golden State Warriors
Steph Curry has put on a scoring clinic recently, with his shooting performances keeping the Golden State Warriors' playoff hopes alive. His battle with Russell Westbrook will be one of the most intriguing aspects of this encounter with the Wizards leader known to be a tenacious defender, averaging 1.3 steals per night.
Curry has been joined recently by Kent Bazemore in the Warriors backcourt and was still preferred to Kelly Oubre Jr. despite the 25-year-old returning from injury on Monday. Steve Kerr has also rotated his centers this season, with Kevon Looney and James Wiseman sharing responsibility as the starting big man. With Wiseman out for the season, it is expected that Looney will continue to hold down his position in the Warriors lineup.
At the forward positions, the setting is far more stable with Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins having played 50 games together.
Washington Wizards
Presuming Hachimura could still be absent, Bradley Beal may be deployed again in the Washington Wizards frontcourt on Wednesday. His position at shooting guard was filled by Raul Neto, while his regular backcourt partner Westbrook recorded another phenomenal triple-double.
Along with Hachimura, Wizards center Alex Len limped out of their encounter with the Pistons at the weekend, though returned to the starting lineup with 9 points and 4 boards on 14 minutes against the Thunder. Washington's starting five is complete with Deni Avdija alongside Beal at power forward.
Golden State Warriors vs Washington Wizards: Predicted starting 5s
Golden State Warriors
Point Guard - Stephen Curry | Shooting Guard - Kent Bazemore | Small Forward - Andrew Wiggins | Power Forward - Draymond Green | Center - Kevon Looney.
Washington Wizards
Point Guard - Raul Neto | Shooting Guard - Russell Westbrook | Small Forward - Bradley Beal | Power Forward - Deni Avdija | Center - Alex Len.