The Washington Wizards play host to the Miami Heat at Capital One Arena on Thursday.

The Heat (0-1) are the first team to have the unfortunate task of playing a back-to-back set, as they have to travel to Washington after their opening loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. That was a tough defeat to swallow too, as Orlando handed Miami a 104-101 defeat that wasn't decided until the final shot. The good news coming out of that loss is the fact that everyone looked healthy, with Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside all posting formidable stat lines. Miami did struggle shooting the ball though, as they hit just 39 percent from the field and 27 percent from long range. That simply won't get it done against a Wizard's team playing their first game, as this is an unfortunate scheduling circumstance for the Heat.

The Wizards are fortunate to play a team coming off a back-to-back set in their opener, as they'll look to take advantage of a tired bunch. That's the perfect recipe for a John Wall team too, as he's happy to get up-and-down the court at a blistering pace. This is a critical season for Washington too, as there's some talk that things could blow up if it doesn't go well. That's why Dwight Howard was brought over in the offseason, as that's one of the most dangerous centers Washington has seen in quite some time. If he can find his old form, that's the perfect fit with a talented backcourt of Wall and Bradley Beal. What's also been killing this team in the past is their lack of bench production, as they hope that the additions of Austin Rivers and Jeff Green will give them that bench spark that they need at times.

While these teams split their four-game season series last year, Miami has won six of their last eight games over Washington in total.