Two teams that have struggled out of the gate, one expected and the other a surprise, will meet in Miami on Friday night as the Washington Wizards take on the Miami Heat. The Wizards are 1-3 and have lost two straight games as they begin the first leg of what will be a challenging rebuild. The Miami Heat, fresh off an appearan. This game also marks the first game of the first-ever In-Season NBA Tournament for both teams. The opening tap is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST.ce in the NBA Finals last year, are just 1-4 on the season and have lost four straight after an opening night win. 

Defense Resting

The Washington Wizards lost their third game in four tries on Wednesday night in Atlanta in yet another game that barely featured any resistance from the Wizards’ defense. Washington opened strong, leading 30-24 after one quarter but the Hawks offense soon took over. Kyle Kuzma led the Wizards with 25 points and Deni Avdija added 22 points. The Wizards were outscored by 13 points in the second quarter and the lead ballooned to 17 points before a mediocre finish by the Hawks cute the deficit to single digits.

The new-look Wizards have struggled to start the season, particularly on the defensive end. They are last in the NBA in points allowed per game thus far after finishing 17th in the league in points allowed last season. The Wizards are 28th in opposing team’s shooting percentage and 26th in opposing team’s 3-point shooting. Last year, the Wizards were a respectable 14th in the NBA in opponent’s shooting percentage but the loss of Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal seems to have affected the team more on the defensive end than the offensive end. Porzingis’ ability to alter shots has been missed and Beal a strong, physical guard who could cover both guard spots. Beal’s replacement, Jordan Poole, is not going to be winning any Defensive Player of the Year awards anytime soon.