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The Washington Wizards sans-Kyle Kuzma won their second straight game against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Now, they must go on the road and try to win short-handed again.
Kuzma will be out on Saturday, via The Athletic's Josh Robbins.
“Kyle Kuzma (groin strain) will not play in the Wizards' game in Mexico City against the [Miami] Heat, coach Brian Keefe said,” Robbins reported. “Kuzma sustained the injury during the Wizards' victory Monday in Atlanta.”
Kuzma bounced back on Monday after a rough first two games, scoring 25 points on 8-20 shooting (5-of-9 3pt) with 11 rebounds and seven assists across 40 minutes before departing. The 29-year-old shot just 9-of-32 over the first two games.
Will Washington handle the Heat without him?
The Heat matchup will be a growing experience for Wizards
Washington showed promise on both ends of the floor against the Hawks, with second-year wing Bilal Coulibaly shutting down star guard Trae Young on Monday and all three of its rookies showing out in Wednesday's 133-120 victory. Miami, though is a different beast. Erik Spoelstra's squad has gone on multiple deep playoff runs this decade, and Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro are a handful for any defense.
However, Wizards head coach Brian Keefe welcomes the challenge.
Wizards coach Brian Keefe discusses Saturday’s challenging Mexico City matchup vs. the Heat pic.twitter.com/GeDELe36ic
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) October 31, 2024
“Obviously a championship organization, how they play a defensive mindset,” Keefe said about the Heat on Thursday. “Obviously, this is a team that's been to the Finals, Eastern Conference Finals the last couple years. Great challenge, lots of good players, looking forward to the trip.”
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The 48-year-old was also asked about the wear-and-tear of a five-hour international flight amid the grind of the season.
“We do have one day in between the practice, but I think it's just a mindset thing,” Keefe continued. “Both teams are dealing with the same circumstances, so we don't use it as anything other than that. We've got a game, play the game.”
With the Wizards still in their rebuilding phase, the top priority is to see the young players shine. With Kuzma out again, Keefe could start the rookie trio of Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington, and Kyshawn George for the second straight game. Sarr and George each had 11 points on Wednesday, while Carrington had 16.
Sarr, though, will have to prove his worth against three-time All-Star and 2024 NBA All-Defensive First Teamer Bam Adebayo. Keefe sounded off on one of the No. 2 overall pick's biggest challenges yet.
“Great respect for Bam, but we're still working on us. We're worried about getting Alex better on a day-to-day basis,” the UNLV alum said. “Bam's obviously great, got such great respect for him, but we got a couple of days before it, so we're still focused on ourselves and we'll get to Miami probably in the next day or two.”
While Washington's 2-2 record is encouraging, this season is still about player development over wins and losses. Showdowns against playoff-caliber teams, though, do provide a litmus test for how the young core stacks up against the best.
Playing in Mexico City adds another wrinkle, as the long flight and the destination's altitude make an already-taxing schedule harder. Putting up another quality performance in these circumstances would show resilience, a common trait shared by all great athletes.
The two teams square off at 9:30 PM EST on Saturday at Arena Ciudad de Mexico.
