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John Wall’s return highlights best games of Wizards’ 2022-23 schedule

By Chase Hughes

Highlights of Wizards' schedule including Wall's return originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

The Wizards’ 2022-23 regular season schedule was released on Wednesday afternoon and there are already some dates to circle on your calendars in addition to their first game, on Oct. 19 at the Pacers.

Here are some highlights of the Wizards’ 82-game schedule…

Dec. 10: Wall’s return to D.C.

The Wizards will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 10, which should afford the first opportunity for John Wall to play in front of D.C. fans since he was traded by the franchise in 2020. Wall has played the Wizards twice before, including once in Washington when he was with the Rockets, but it was during the 2020-21 season when very few fans were allowed into arenas. This time, as long as he’s healthy and available, should be his true homecoming.

Jan. 23: Porzingis returns to Dallas

Nearly a year after the Mavericks traded Porzingis to the Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, the Latvian big man will return to play in front of the Dallas faithful for the first time. Porzingis put in 24 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a home win against the Mavericks late last season.

Lots of home games to start and finish

The Wizards will play 11 of their first 17 games at Capital One Arena, including their home opener on Oct. 21 against the Bulls. Playing so much at home early on will be a nice change of pace after they spend part of the preseason in Japan. It may also be an advantage in the standings, as teams are usually better at home than on the road. The Wizards will also play 14 of their final 20 games of the season at home, which could help them finish strong in the playoff race.

First 9 games against the East

The Wizards play their first nine games against teams from the Eastern Conference before their first ‘non-conference’ game against the Grizzlies on Nov. 6 in Memphis. In those first nine games, they will see the Pacers (twice), Bulls, Cavs, Celtics, Sixers (twice) and Nets. That will give the Wizards a good feel for where they stand in the East early on, as all those teams but the Pacers made the playoffs last season. The Celtics made the NBA Finals.

5 national TV games

The Wizards play 81 of their 82 games on NBC Sports Washington, but have five total games on national TV. Those are Oct. 28 vs. the Pacers (ESPN), Dec. 22 at the Jazz (NBATV), Jan. 3 at the Bucks (NBATV), Feb. 13 at the Warriors (NBATV) and Feb. 28 at the Hawks (TNT). That last one is the only game not on NBC.

14 back-to-backs

The Wizards will play 14 total back-to-backs with their first one on Oct. 30 and 31. They play at Boston, then return home to host the Sixers on Halloween. They also play the Sixers two days later in Philadelphia.

Longest road trip: 10 days, 6 games

The Wizards will have some time to get settled before their longest road trip of the season, which begins Dec. 14 and goes to Dec. 23. They will play at the Nuggets, Clippers, Lakers, Suns, Jazz and Kings, six games across 10 days. They also have a 9-day, 5-game trip that runs from Jan. 24 to Feb. 1. During that stretch they will play at the Mavs, Rockets, Pelicans, Spurs and Pistons.

Big home games

In addition to the Clippers on Dec. 10, some of the more notable home games for the Wizards include Kevin Durant and the Nets (Nov. 4 and Dec. 12), Luka Doncic and the Mavs (Nov. 10), Ja Morant and the Grizzlies (Nov. 13), LeBron James and the Lakers (Dec. 4), Stephen Curry and the Warriors (Jan. 16), Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks (March 6 and April 4), Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets (March 22) and Jayson Tatum and the Celtics (March 28)

What can Wizards do to stop their losing streak?

By Chase Hughes
What can Wizards do to stop their losing streak? originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonSunday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers continued what is by just about any measure one of the most difficult stretches the Wizards have been through in many years. It marked 10 straight losses, their longest losing skid since 2012, and 13 losses in their last 14 games overall, a slump that goes all the way back to before Thanksgiving.The Wizards are stumbling and have been unable to regain their balance. One of the more troubling things is that their extended losing skid has been sort of shapeless in that there is no one reason to blame.During this 14-game slide overall, the Wizards have ranked 28th in the NBA in defensive rating compared to 16th on offense. But while they have lost 10 straight, they have been 25th in the league in both categories. So, equally as bad.Injuries have been a storyline, for sure. While the Wizards have been middle-of-the-road this season in terms of total injuries comparative to the rest of the NBA, lately they have been slammed by them. They have no doubt taken their toll.But this weekend they got Kristaps Porzingis back, then lost to the Clippers who were missing Paul George. Bradley Beal returned on Sunday, but the Wizards still lost to the Lakers without Anthony Davis.Some nights it's the Wizards' paint defense that has hurt them. That was certainly the case two games ago in Denver when Washington allowed 98 paint points, the most ever surrendered by the franchise since the stat started being tracked in 1996-97.But the Wizards have lost three games in their last 10 when they won the paint battle. That includes on Nov. 30 when they lost to the Nets despite winning the paint points margin by 58-32.The Wizards' 3-point defense has certainly stood out recently and not for good reasons. Over the last 10 games, Washington has allowed teams to shoot 39.5% from long range, second-highest in the league during that stretch.Whether it is around the rim or on the perimeter, teams are finding holes in the Wizards' defense from night to night and their offense hasn't been good enough to offset that in a meaningful way. Add it all up and the Wizards have a lot of areas to fix.One major problem is their schedule is showing no signs of letting up. The Wizards have three more games left on this West Coast road trip and they are all against teams currently holding playoff spots; the Suns (18-12), Jazz (17-15) and Kings (16-12).Even when the Wizards return to D.C., they will play host to two teams with winning records - the Suns and Sixers (16-12) - before heading back out on the road again.No favors are being done for the Wizards right now. If they are going to pull themselves out of this soon, they will have to do so on the road and against a good team.Maybe now that they have returned a host of key players, they can be boosted by knowing they have plenty enough to compete each night. They got close to beating the Lakers, outscoring them by 15 in the third quarter only to not execute on a few plays down the stretch.Perhaps that was an indication they are close to snapping out of this current malaise. Certainly the sooner they can do so, the better.
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