Hornets at Wizards
The Washington Wizards have become a .500 team since their 19-6 start and they’ll try to avoid losing three straight when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. The Wizards played their third overtime game in 11 days Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors and lost for the fourth time in the last six. Wizards leading scorer and assist man John Wall has been battling migraines and a sore ankle recently and said after the Toronto game he may sit out against Charlotte.
The Hornets went 10-4 in January to get themselves back in the top eight in the Eastern Conference and have won five of the last seven heading into the first of four meetings against Washington this season. They’ll be without their starting point guard and leading scorer Kemba Walker for the fourth straight game as he'll be out six weeks after undergoing left knee surgery earlier in the week. Cody Zeller did his part to pick up the scoring slack Saturday against the Denver Nuggets, scoring a career-high 21 points on 10-for-11 from the floor.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Charlotte), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (20-27): Michael Kidd-Gilchrist reached double figures in points and rebounds five times in January, by far the most in any month of his three-year career. He had 17 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s win against the Nuggets and shot 7-for-13 from the field for the second straight game. His field goal percentage has been a concern the first two seasons, and he shot 58.3 in November before finishing under 43 percent in both December and January.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (31-17): Washington center Marcin Gortat scored 27 points against the Hornets when these teams last met in April, but he’s coming off a season-low two points in Saturday’s loss to the Raptors, missing all three of his field goal attempts and grabbing two rebounds with four turnovers in 24 minutes. The 7-footer averaged 10.4 points in January, his lowest full month since the 2010-11 season. Gortat will face a tough matchup against Al Jefferson, who had 20 points and 18 rebounds against Gortat in Charlotte’s overtime win last spring.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Washington reserve F Kris Humphries is averaging 12.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in his last four games.
2. Washington's 31 wins before February 1 marks its most before this date since the 1978-79 season, when the club had 34.
3. Hornets F Marvin Williams has missed last two games with a concussion and remains questionable.