Washington Wizards vs Houston Rockets Prediction - Combined Starting 5 featuring Russell Westbrook and Christian Wood
The Houston Rockets will be hosting the Washington Wizards on Tuesday in Russell Westbrook’s first game at Toyota Center since he was traded in the offseason.
The Wizards returned to playing basketball again after their last six games were postponed because of a lack of personnel due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols.
They lost their return game, a 121-101 debacle against the San Antonio Spurs, on Sunday but are looking to get back on the winning track against the Rockets.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have won their last two games and will be targeting a third straight victory when they meet the Wizards.
Combined Starting 5 (Washington Wizards vs Houston Rockets Prediction)
The Washington Wizards are likely going to be rusty for this game, while the Houston Rockets will be more than ready for the matchup.
Though Westbrook’s return will be the backdrop of this game, his backcourt mate will probably steal the show. Bradley Beal should be back in proper form after finally playing his first game in two weeks.
This combined starting five will be quite unusual since I’ll be picking a player who comes off the bench for the Houston Rockets because of an incredible performance in his previous outing.
When East meets West on Tuesday, these should be the top five players on the court.
Here is our combined starting 5 for the Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets:
Point Guard - Russell Westbrook (Washington Wizards)
This has not been one of Russell Westbrook’s best years. He’s averaging his lowest points per game in 11 years at 18.0. Still, he offers the complete package statistically, with 9.5 rebounds and 10.6 assists in each outing.
It was difficult to choose between Westbrook and John Wall at the point guard spot, but the Houston Rockets playmaker has missed a number of games this season. Additionally, Westbrook impacts games in more areas than Wall does.
The 2017 MVP could be extra motivated to play against his former team when he visits them on Tuesday.
Shooting Guard - Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
Bradley Beal is having a career-year this campaign, despite the mounting losses for the Washington Wizards.
Beal leads the league in scoring at 34.5 points while also producing 5.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per outing. In a 141-136 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, he scored 60 points on 20-of-35 shooting from the floor.
While he has been the subject of trade talks over the last few years, Beal has remained faithful to the Wizards and has not demanded a trade despite his team’s lack of success.
After a poor shooting performance against the Spurs, expect Beal to bounce back in a big way against the Houston Rockets.