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The Washington Wizards host the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. The Washington Wizards have won eight of their past twelve games, but three of their losses have come in the last week alone.
Bradley Beal has been quite vocal about Russell Westbrook's commendable play and the two backcourt stars are flourishing in the country's capital.
The Philadelphia 76ers are on a decent run right now. They have won seven of their last nine games and their star center Joel Embiid is the frontrunner for the MVP award this season.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Wizards: Injury Updates
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers boast an entirely healthy roster. However, their two franchise players, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, are ruled out of games due to COVID-19 protocols.
The two stars visited a barber in Philadelphia before the All-Star game and the barber got tested positive hence, Embiid and Simmons were sidelined due to contact tracing.
Unfortunately, they couldn't attend the All-Star game this year. They are expected to play in the next matchup against San Antonio.
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards have had to deal with a bevy of injuries this season. Their main center, Thomas Bryant, has been sidelined for the foreseeable future due to a left ACL tear. The Wizards announced that he has undergone surgery to repair his ACL and he is not expected to play this season.
Backup guard Ish Smith continues to be sidelined following a proximal injury to his right quadriceps, and he is expected to miss several more weeks.
Meanwhile, their star guard Bradley Beal is reportedly listed as questionable for tonight due to a knee injury.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Wizards: Predicted Lineups
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers' roster has been hampered by the absence of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Seth Curry takes on the role of point guard with Matisse Thybulle playing the starting shooting guard in place of Curry.
Danny Green and Tobias Harris retain their positions on the frontcourt as the small and power forward respectively. Tony Bradley takes on the role of starting center in place of Joel Embiid, with Dwight Howard continuing to come off the bench.
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards will continue to use their lineup that has worked for them in the past few weeks with the exception of Bradley Beal. Raul Neto is expected to replace him in the starting lineup as the shooting guard.
Russell Westbrook continues to play point guard in Washington. Garrison Mathews and Rui Hachimura retain their spots as the forwards in the frontcourt, with Moritz Wagner as the center. Rookie Deni Avdija and Davis Bertans are the team's best bench players.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Washington Wizards: Predicted Starting 5s
Philadelphia 76ers
G - Seth Curry, G - Matisse Thybulle, F - Danny Green, F - Tobias Harris, C - Tony Bradley.
Washington Wizards
G - Russell Westbrook, G - Raul Neto, F - Garrison Mathews, F - Rui Hachimura, C - Moritz Wagner
