How to watch Wizards vs. Grizzlies originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Fresh off the NBA All-Star break, the Wizards kick off the second half of their 2020-21 NBA regular season schedule on Wednesday night against the Grizzlies.
Bradley Beal is coming off his highest-scoring ASG output in his first start in the event, notching a team-high 26 points in Team Durant's lopsided loss to Team LeBron. The Wizards star said it was an honor playing with his fellow St. Louis native and friend Jayson Tatum for the first time. Best of all for Beal during this pandemic season, he got to do it all with his sons in attendance.
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After starting the first half of the season having won 14 of their first 20 games, the Wizards will look to climb the Eastern Conference standings a couple spots to get into the 7-10 range for a chance at the play-in games for the postseason - something Beal expressed confidence in. That starts in Memphis.
Here's how to watch.
WIZARDS vs. GRIZZLIES HOW TO WATCH
What: Washington Wizards vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tenn.
When: 8:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: Wizards vs. Grizzlies will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington (NBC Sports Channel Finder)
Live Stream: You can live stream Wizards vs. Clippers on NBC Sports Washington's live stream page and on the NBC Sports App.
Radio: Wizards Radio Network, 1500 AM
WIZARDS vs. GRIZZLIES TV SCHEDULE
7:00 PM: Wizards Pregame Live
8:00 PM: Wizards vs. Grizzlies (LIVE)
10:30 PM: Wizards Postgame Live
WIZARDS vs. GRIZZLIES: WHAT TO WATCH
Washington's first meeting with the Grizzlies ended in a loss largely due to the team's inability to protect the ball. Turning the ball over 22 times, Memphis capitalized for 32 points on the other end in a game the Wizards lost by 14 points. Russell Westbrook was a major culprit, with eight turnovers -- seven coming in the first half. If Washington is going to win this rematch, they can't be giving the ball away at that rate.
Another big storyline from that first meeting was the face guarding Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks employed on the league's leading scorer while covering Beal, who said he gained his respect postgame. It was effective, too, holding Beal to 23 points while the rest of the offense struggled to pick up the slack. Beal will need to find some creative ways to get open on Wednesday.
WIZARDS vs. GRIZZLIES: PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bradley Beal, SG, Wizards (32.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.8 apg): Beal finished 8-for-18 and just 1-for-4 from 3-point range in his first game against Memphis just over a week ago. Every time he got off the bench, Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins called Brooks to do the same. In what should be a riveting second encounter between the two, expect Beal to go into his bag of tricks to figure out a way to help the Wizards start the second half of the year with a win.
Ja Morant, PG, Grizzlies (19.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 7.7 apg): It seemed like Morant's 35 points and 10 rebounds in the March 2 game between these two teams came with ease. He let the game come to him, not forcing anything, and the second-year guard pretty casually put up an eye-popping stat line. With a well-rested Westbrook this time, Morant surely won't have things go so simply.
