Hornets at Wizards
In an otherwise difficult season that will almost certainly result in a fifth straight season out of the playoffs, the Washington Wizards have established a relative degree of dominance at home. They look to continue that positive trend when they welcome the New Orleans Hornets to the Verizon Center on Friday. With a 106-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, the Wizards improved to 13-4 in their last 17 home games.
One of Washington's road wins came Dec. 11 against the Hornets, who are coming off a 108-98 loss at Brooklyn on Tuesday. They put up a solid fight but did not have enough to survive the absence of then-leading scorer Ryan Anderson, who sat out with flu-like symptoms. It was the first game that Anderson had missed. Entering this one, he now ranks second on the team in scoring, thanks to Eric Gordon's 24-point effort in the loss to the Nets. Rookie Anthony Davis continued his recent hot play with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports New Orleans (New Orleans), Comcast SportsNet (Washington)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (22-43): Anderson's absence was felt in more ways than one Tuesday night. Without its top 3-point shooter New Orleans had a rather lackluster five 3-pointers, three of which were made down the stretch when it was just trying to rally. And without Anderson's usual help on the boards, the Hornets were outrebounded 42-31. He had 13 boards in a win over Portland two nights earlier. New Orleans is 3-9 after a 12-9 stretch.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (21-42): Washington was outscored 34-15 in the third quarter Wednesday night. Fortunately, it absolutely dominated the other three frames, besting the visiting Bucks by a 91-59 margin. Six Wizards scored at least 13 points, led by John Wall's 23 and Martell Webster's 20. Washington was just 12-for-24 at the line but made eight of its 16 3-point attempts in its best offensive showing since Feb. 22. The Wizards have held nine straight opponents under 100 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hornets PG Greivis Vasquez has missed one free throw in 3 1/2 weeks. However, he has taken only 19 of them in that span.
2. Wall had 23 assists and 20 turnovers in a four-game span from Feb. 27-March 6. He has produced 33 assists and 10 turnovers in four games since.
3. New Orleans had just 70 points in that December loss to Washington. That represents a season low for a Wizards opponent.
PREDICTION: Wizards 94, Hornets 86