The Washington Wizards continue progressing as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and now they will test that talent against the other side as they begin a five-game Western Conference road trip against several top teams. The Wizards are fresh off two wins after back-to-back losses and now they face the Houston Rockets, a team they have only beaten four times in 25 road games.
The Wizards beat the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in big fashion. The team combined to shoot 50.6 percent including 12 of 29 from long range. That is compared to the 41.9 shooting percentage and 8 of 23 from beyond the arc they put up in the two previous losses. Point guard John Wall continues his big season looking better on the road than at home. Wall is averaging 20.5 points and 11.5 assists on the road while shooting 54.4 percent. However, against Houston, he is putting up just 16.3 points and shooting 35.9 percent.
The Wizards are going to have to continue their sharp shooting if they are going to beat the Houston Rockets who appear to be stronger than ever with the addition of Josh Smith to the roster. The team is averaging 111.0 points in their last three games. They did struggle defensively against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday after committing 25 turnovers and aim to regroup against the Wizards.
James Harden led the way Sunday with 28 points, but has averaged 34.7 points over the past three games for the team. Dwight Howard managed 24 points in the loss while Smith had just five points and five fouls. Howard has played well against the Wizards in recent games, putting up an average of 29.5 points in his last four matchups. Meanwhile the Wizards are 4-24 against Houston recently losing back in February of last season.
