Timberwolves at Wizards
THE STORY: The Washington Wizards nearly ended their winless streak on Friday. Sunday might provide them an even better opportunity. The lone remaining winless team in the NBA, the Wizards host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Washington was in strong position against the New York Knicks on Friday, carrying a lead most of the night before surrendering in the final minute en route to a 99-96 setback. The three-point margin was the closet the Wizards have come to joining the win column. The Timberwolves have a pair of wins already but will be without forward Michael Beasley, who is out for the next three games with a foot injury. Minnesota also tends to play down to its competition, losing to the likes of Cleveland and Milwaukee while beating Dallas and San Antonio and taking the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat to the wire.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FSNO (Minnesota), CSW (Washington)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (2-5): Minnesota is about as exciting as any team in the league this season, with rookie point guard Ricky Rubio and freshman forward Derrick Williams joining Kevin Love on the highlight reels. The next step is turning those highlights into wins. Love has recorded a double-double in each of the first seven games and has increased his range out beyond the 3-point line. The Timberwolves lead the NBA in rebounding thanks to Love but still struggle on the defensive end, allowing 95.9 points.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (0-7): Washington is even worse on defense, allowing 98.4 points, but has yet to show the type of offense that Minnesota occasionally puts on display. The Wizards have not scored 100 points in a game and have only twice topped 90. After bursting out to a 32-18 lead after the first quarter on Friday, Washington dropped to 15 points in the second and had to fight the rest of the way. John Wall scored a season-high 22 points.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Wizards veteran Maurice Evans called a players-only meeting before Friday’s game to talk about a “sense of entitlement” among the younger players.
2. Wall is averaging 3.9 turnovers. He committed five on Friday.
3. The home team has won each of the last four games in the series.