Hawks-Wizards Preview

The Washington Wizards and visiting Atlanta Hawks are both battling injury problems, and they'll each be trying to get past them when the teams meet Wednesday.

Washington just lost arguably its top player in five-time All-Star point guard John Wall, who will be having surgery for what the team called "debridement and repair of a Haglund's deformity and a chronic Achilles tendon injury in his left heel."

Wall is expected to return to full basketball activity in approximately six to eight months."

In other words, Wall is done for the season. Forward Otto Porter Jr. could return to the lineup for this game as he's been cleared to play, but the team said they wanted him to get a practice in, and that's why he didn't play versus Charlotte on Saturday.

Forward Markieff Morris has been dealing with neck and back pain and didn't play in the last game, and the Wizards expect him to see a specialist to take a look at his issues. More will likely be known Wednesday.

The Wizards now have to make up for the offense they lose with Wall out. He was averaging 20.7 points. 8.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds in the 32 games he played this season with Washington (14-23), which still has a shot to make the playoffs if it can play well without Wall.

In their last game, a 130-126 victory over Charlotte, forward Trevor Ariza (24 points, nine assists and seven rebounds) led the way while center Thomas Bryant (21 points, 10 rebounds), shooting guard Bradley Beal (19 points) and new starting point guard Tomas Satoransky (20 points, six assists) all helped.

The best part of the night might have been the fact that the Wizards handed out 35 assists on the 48 baskets they made. That's what they're going to have to keep doing without playmaker Wall in the lineup.

"We have enough (on this team) to win, even with the guys we have out," Beal told the media after the game. "It's a matter of us putting it together and just doing it. We made life easier on the offensive end, scoring and moving the ball and having fun."

The Hawks (11-25) have been having more fun of their own lately after a 3-16 start. Despite battling its own injury issues, Atlanta has gone 8-9 since the poor beginning and is playing better.

Guard Kent Bazemore is out for at least two weeks due to a sprained right ankle. He got hurt on Saturday, and the team said it will check him out again in two weeks.

Forward Taurean Prince also is dealing with an ankle sprain, and he has missed 12 straight games. Center Dewayne Dedmon missed the past two games due to left knee soreness, and his situation is unknown for this game.

"It's been described to be as similar to tendinitis in the knee," Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce told the Atlanta Journal Constitution of Dedmon.

Guard Justin Anderson battled what the Hawks called "flu-like symptoms" and played just seven minutes in Monday's 116-108 loss at Indiana. So they've got plenty of issues with injuries but still are playing better.

Power forward John Collins (18.7 average, six straight double-doubles) and point guard Trae Young (15.6) are the team's leading scorers, but others have been helping during the injury issues. Veteran swingman Vince Carter scored 21 points in 23 minutes in a win over Cleveland on Saturday.