That Pistons game is the warning sign. Charlotte led 51-44 at the half, lost the 3rd quarter 32-19 and scored just 38 after the break in a 97-89 loss. Washington's Wednesday in Cleveland looked the same. The Wizards put up 42 in the 1st quarter, led 69-59 at the half, then managed 42 second-half points and lost 121-111. Both teams can start fast. Neither one finished on Wednesday, and Friday probably goes to whoever has something left in the 4th quarter.
Washington's roster has the most upside of the two. Anthony Davis had 34 points and 12 rebounds in his Wizards debut, a 128-116 win over Milwaukee. Trae Young scored 25 to hold off the Bulls 124-120. The team also announced that No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa was cleared to make his debut in Cleveland after missing the first 4 games with a left ankle sprain. He wasn't on the floor when Miller torched them, so the Wizards Charlotte sees on Friday aren't the ones it beat. The flip side is ball security: Washington turned it over 23 times in the loss to Toronto.
The Wizards' injury list keeps growing. Justin Champagnie (foot) is expected to miss several months, Tristan Vukcevic (hip) is on a 4-week re-evaluation, and Jamir Watkins is out after ACL surgery. Tre Johnson was a late scratch in Cleveland with right Achilles soreness, and nobody has said whether he plays Friday. With Davis, Young and possibly Dybantsa on one side and Miller and Reid with no healthy guard depth on the other, the bench minutes in the 2nd half matter most. Tipoff is 7:00 PM ET.