Nets at Wizards
The Washington Wizards are winners of five of their last six games and are knocking off some high-level competition of late. The Wizards will try to maintain that same type of intensity when they host the Brooklyn Nets in the opener of a home-and-home set on Friday. The Nets are losers of seven in a row and are averaging 89.3 points in that span as they tumble with Deron Williams (ribs) out of the lineup.
Veteran forward Paul Pierce left Brooklyn in the offseason and joined Washington, offering a stabilizing presence to the young core already in place. Pierce scored 22 points in a 105-99 win at Chicago on Wednesday after putting up 13 in a win over the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs and is shooting 53.3 percent in the last three games. The Nets could use someone like Pierce on the perimeter to help Joe Johnson, who is shooting 37.3 percent during the losing streak.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE NETS (16-23): The losing streak is obscuring the uptick in production from center Mason Plumlee, who is averaging 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds in the last five games. The second-year big man is 24-of-30 from the field over the last three contests and combines with Brook Lopez to form one of the more productive frontcourt duos in the East. “No one is feeling sorry for us,’’ Plumlee told reporters. “We’ve got to get it together and win.”
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (27-12): Plumlee and Lopez will get a big challenge up front from Washington big men Marcin Gortat and Nene, who got the better of the Chicago Bulls up front on Wednesday. Nene handed out eight assists to go along with 13 points in the win and his versatility is a big asset to Washington. “How many power forwards in this league are going to get you eight assists?” Wizards coach Randy Wittman asked reporters. “We can run our offense through him, and we all know how unselfish of a player he is, and he was huge tonight.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Wizards took all three meetings last season and have won three in a row in the series at home.
2. Brooklyn F Kevin Garnett is expected to return Friday after serving a one-game suspension for head-butting Houston C Dwight Howard.
3. Washington G Bradley Beal is shooting 51.7 percent from 3-point range this month.