The Washington Wizards (0-0) and Atlanta Hawks (0-0) open their 2016-2017 NBA Season on Thursday, Oct. 27 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Washington is looking to bounce back from their lackluster campaign last season when the team finished with a 41-41 record and was not qualified for the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Gone is head coach Randy Wittman and his place is former Oklahoma City Thunder bench tactician Scott Brooks. Unfortunately, Brooks does not have a lot of pieces to work with to ensure another playoff-bound campaign this season. At the moment, the Wizards only have the backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal to help them tide through the rough seas of the much-improved Eastern Conference.
The Wizards still have Marcin Gortat to man the middle with Markieff Morris as his frontcourt partner at the power forward spot. Otto Porter Jr. is still the starting small forward.
Gortat is the only reliable option at center, though, as Ian Mahinmi is still out due to injury and is expected to return in late November or early December, as per SB Nation.
Meanwhile, the Hawks still has head coach Mike Budenholzer leading the squad and is again expected to make the playoffs this season.
New acquisition Dwight Howard replaced former starting center Al Horford, who is now with the Boston Celtics. The team also has a new starting point guard with former backup Dennis Schroder now promoted with Jeff Teague traded to the Indiana Pacers during the summer.
All-Stars Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver are back while small forward Kent Bazemore completes the starting five. Bazemore is said to be the "critical two-way player in Budenholzer's system", according to the league's official website, and is the key to the Hawks effectiveness this season.
Tiago Splitter and Mike Scott are currently unavailable for Atlanta due to injuries, which has thinned the Hawks frontcourt. Kris Humphries and Mike Muscala are expected to step up for the second unit bigs.
Prediction
Atlanta wins at home by a wide margin. Washington does not have enough manpower to challenge or control Howard inside the paint. Wall is coming off a double-knee surgery in the offseason and may not be 100 percent effective yet.
