DC's Basketball Team Is Hotter Than A Wizard's Cauldron

The Wizards are a little late, but are meeting the expectations of preseason prospect. Their streak has put their hot offense on display.

Take a seat, Bulls. The Washington Wizards are in sole possession of the 10 seed in the East, primed for a playoff push. They're on fire, winning eight in a row against the league-best Jazz, the Kings, Pelicans, Pistons, Thunder (twice), Warriors, and Cavs.

Bradley Beal has averaged around his season mark of points during the streak, at 30.8 PPG. Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple-double for the season at 21.8 PTS, 11 REB, and 10.9 AST, and the win streak has seen Russ propel his REB and AST up to 13 and 12.2.

If the standings remained the same heading into mid-May's play-in, the Wizards would play a single elimination against Indiana, the 9 seed, and should they beat the Pacers, would face the loser of the 7-8 matchup, either Miami or Charlotte for the rights to the 8 seed and a shot at taking down the number one team in the East when things take hold. Nobody wants to face Washington right now, and their offense has been remarkable, coming in at 121.4 PPG over the last eight.

Beal might be their best and most efficient option, but the Russell Westbrook experience has finally translated to wins, and his orchestration of the offense from the point guard position is not dissimilar to the Rockets' post All-Star break run with Westbrook running things before the shutdown. Daniel Gafford has been a bright spot for the Wizards as well, and has proved that he was a good deadline acquisition, averaging 11 PTS and 6 REB over the last 10 games. Davis Bertans is bringing in 13 PPG over that same span, too. The team is clicking at the right time, and they will have a solid shot at utilizing the expanded postseason landscape to turn some heads.

The Wizards join the Knicks with incredible win streaks, but it cost the resurgence of another 90's juggernaut: the Bulls. Chicago made a huge splash in trading for Nikola Vucevic, but they've been disappointing all season, and his acquisition hasn't made things much better. Zach LaVine has been out, and that's a big part of their recent skid, but the Wizards are now 2 games ahead of them for 10th. The Bulls only hope is to play better and jump Indiana, assuming the Wizards keep up this run. Either way, Washington should feel good about their play-in chances against anyone in that proximity.

We'll have to see if they can shock the world as an 8 seed and upset the East's finest. Maybe a Russ vs. KD matchup is what the basketball Gods will throw our way. Bring out the popcorn and cook it in the scorching Wizards' cauldron.