Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets will be taking on the Washington Wizards tonight. NBA fans will be aware that Kevin Durant has been sidelined for almost a month now. He injured his knee in a game against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat and has not stepped on the court since then.
Nonetheless, Irving has certainly stepped up for his team and carried them in his co-star’s absence. They currently hold a record of 31 wins and 20 losses, giving them the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. On the other hand, Kyle Kuzma, Bradley Beal, and Kristaps Porzingas have started this season slow with a record of 24 wins and 27 losses.
As both the teams face off, fans must certainly want to know about the injury reports and expected rosters for this matchup. After all, that will help in forming an expert prediction for this game.
Kyrie Irving will miss the Brooklyn Nets vs Washington Wizards game tonight
Irving has been playing at a high level this season. He is averaging 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in the 40 games he has played so far. Considering that he is 30 years old, we are witnessing the early stages of the back end of Kyrie’s career.
While he certainly looks good to go for this game, fans will remember that he recently asked to be traded before the NBA trade deadline. Some claim that this is simply to gain leverage amid contract discussions with the Nets. However, it is still likely that this has a negative impact on team chemistry. According to NBA Insider Shams Charania, Irving will not play against the Wizards
Nets‘ Kyrie Irving is listed out tonight vs. Wizards.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2023
In any case, we will find out if it makes a difference to the team tonight as they take on the Wizards. Here are the injury reports and expected rosters for this game.
Brooklyn Nets injury report
- Kevin Durant
- Ben Simmons
- TJ Warren
Brooklyn Nets expected roster
- Kyrie Irving
- Seth Curry
- Joe Harris
- Royce O’Neale
- Nic Claxton
Washington Wizards injury report
- Anthony Gill
Washington Wizards expected roster
- Bradley Beal
- Kyle Kuzma
- Kristaps Porzingas
- Daniel Gafford
- Monte Morris
As we can tell, both Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons are not expected to play in this game against the Wizards. That will affect the results of this match. Finally, let us look at the expert predictions for this game.
The Nets will still be slightly favored over the Wizards tonight
While there is no denying that the Wizards are looking much healthier than the Nets, they still have a significantly worse record and will be the underdogs for this match. Seth Curry, Nic Claxton and the rest of the squad will certainly have enough firepower to get this win over the Wizards.
Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma can come close to stopping the Brooklyn Nets. However, they will not be favored tonight, even if Durant and Simmons don’t play in this game. It is still expected to be very close and could go either way. Nonetheless, we are siding with Brooklyn for tonight’s matchup.
Discussion about this post