Watch: Brooklyn Nets at Washington Wizards, 7:00 PM EST on YES Network

The Brooklyn Nets and their fans would like nothing more than to be able to focus on basketball; so they’re hoping they can do just that on Friday night when they head to Washington to take on the Wizards.

They’ll be without Ben Simmons (back, leg), Kyrie Irving (suspended) and a head coach, while the Wizards will be without Delon Wright.

Washington has played well, at 4-4, early on. Led by Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis who are both scoring at 21 points per game.

Right now there’s little optimism among Nets fans, but I suppose they could rally around all of the noise and pull out a victory on Friday? Maybe?

Maybe.

WHO: Brooklyn Nets (2-6) at Washington Wizards (4-4)

WHEN: 7:00 p.m. est

WHERE: YES Network (tv), WFAN-FM (radio)

Game Preview.

The Wizards sit at 4-4, perfectly aligning with preseason predictions despite the small sample size: just too good to really tank, but nowhere near being able to contend. The dreaded land, NBA purgatory.

Bradley Beal is still here, with sidekick Kristaps Porzingis in his first full year as a Wizard. He’s coming off a 30-point performance in a win over Philadelphia on Tuesday. The rest of the roster is fine, I guess. A collection of decent-to-good NBA players that don’t seem to fit into any sort of sharp focus or plan. Kyle Kuzma is taking just two less shots per game than Beal. 11 players are averaging double-digit minutes played. If I went digging, I’m sure I’d find some stat that says ESPN, or Bleacher Report, or what have you posts on social media about this team less than any other team.

For more on the Wizards, check out Bullets Forever.