Bucks at Wizards
The Washington Wizards gained a little separation from the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday and are looking for a little more. The Wizards attempt to keep their hold on the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference when they host the NBA-worst Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. The Bucks snapped a six-game slide with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday but are losers of 12 in a row on the road.
Washington had dropped two in a row to playoff contenders before grabbing a 96-86 victory at Orlando behind a balanced scoring attack and tight defense. The clash with the Magic marked the start of a four-game stretch closing the regular season that pits the Wizards against three of the worst teams in the league, including the Bucks and the Boston Celtics in the finale on Wednesday. Milwaukee is still trying to close out the race for the most ping pong balls in the NBA draft lottery and is two games behind the Philadelphia 76ers with three left.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBA TV, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (15-64): Milwaukee showed some spark against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday and got a big game from the backcourt duo of Ramon Sessions and Brandon Knight, who combined for 44 points and 11 assists. “I thought both guys played really well,” coach Larry Drew told reporters of the backcourt. “I thought Brandon made some really big shots, and Ramon does what he does as far as penetration and drawing fouls getting to the basket. I thought both guys really set the tone for us.” Knight is averaging 21.5 points in the last four games.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (41-38): Washington is trying to lock up the No. 6 spot in order to avoid Indiana and Miami in the first round and is working Nene back from a knee injury over the final handful of games. The veteran forward played 17 minutes in his return on Wednesday and pushed it to 20 minutes and a team-high 17 points off the bench in Friday’s win. Nene’s production helps take some of the pressure off the struggling long-range shooters. The Wizards are just 6-of-50 from 3-point range over the last three contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Wizards G John Wall is shooting 37.8 percent over the last three games, including 2-of-11 from 3-point range.
2. Bucks F Chris Wright, who signed a second 10-day contract with the team, scored a season-high 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting on Friday.
3. The road team has taken each of the three meetings this season, with Milwaukee earning a 109-105 overtime win in Washington on Dec. 6.