The New York Knicks are going to face a shorthanded Washington Wizards once again, but this time Bradley Beal is questionable.
On Saturday, the New York Knicks have a chance to exact revenge upon the Washington Wizards for an embarrassing loss earlier this week. Although the Wizards were laughably shorthanded on Monday, they had All-Star guard Bradley Beal to carry the load. Speaking of which, he finished with 30 points on 38 shots in Washington’s six-point victory.
That might not be the case this time around. According to the NBA’s 1:30 p.m. injury report, Beal is listed as questionable with lower leg right soreness.
Six of Beal’s teammates join him on the injury report. Davis Bertans, Thomas Bryant, Rui Hachimura, C.J. Miles, Moritz Wagner, and John Wall are all listed as out.
Even if Beal is out, the Knicks can’t take Washington lightly. In the locker room after the loss on Monday, a handful of Knicks admitted that the team lacked the proper focus. Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Damyean Dotson all mentioned the lack of energy starting as early as shootaround.
Conversely, Gary Payton II joined the Wizards the morning of the game and gave the Knicks fits on both ends of the floor. He put up 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and six steals in his first NBA action of the season.
The Wizards looked like the hungrier team while the Knicks—who were 7-23 at the time—had no sense of urgency.
To be fair, the Knicks bounced back on Thursday with a dominant win over the Brooklyn Nets. The team’s energy and focus was there from start to finish. Which Knicks team shows up on Saturday is still a mystery.