The Washington Wizards are coming off a big win over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they’ll have to forget about that game and move on to tonight’s match up against the much improved Milwaukee Bucks. The game will tip-off at 8:30pm EST from the Bradley Center.

Key Match Up:

John Wall was fantastic in last night’s win over the Cavaliers. He scored, he rebounded, he dished out assists. He did everything he needed to do in order to secure a win over the most talked about team in the NBA. But, with that said, he’ll have to continue playing at that level on a consistent basis for the Washington Wizards to become a legitimate championship contender.

Averaging over 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game, Brandon Knight is having a great season of his own and has done a great job of running his team under head coach Jason Kidd. The Bucks are playing above .500 basketball and will likely remain a playoff contender in the weak Eastern Conference.

(video via Piotr Zarychta)

Knight has torched the Washington Wizards in the past, including this season, so it should be interesting to see how the team bounces back on the second night of a back-to-back after dismantling the Cavaliers.

Prediction:

As Paul Pierce put it last night, the Washington Wizards have to find ways to win games against teams like the Milwaukee Bucks after beating talented teams like Cleveland at home. For the Wizards to become a top team in the East, they have to find ways to win games on the road during back-to-back situations.

The Bucks are not as talented as the Cavaliers, but they’re playing better basketball. Prior to the start of the season, I don’t think any of us would consider a win over the Bucks a “quality win.” But, that’s not the case anymore.

Milwaukee is 4-1 at home, with seven total wins on the season. Led by Brandon Knight, rookie Jabari Parker, and players like Khris Middleton and Jerryd Bayless, the Bucks have surprised a lot of people this season and will continue to get wins under coach Kidd.

With all that said, I think the Washington Wizards will sneak out of Milwaukee with a close win tonight.

John Wall is coming off one of his most impressive performances of the season, while Bradley Beal has also had some big games against the Bucks in the past. They’re improved, but the Wizards are legit. I don’t think this year’s Wizards team will create a habit of losing to teams they’re supposed to beat.