Wizards at Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are clinging to the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference with four games to play. The Nets will try to hang onto their standing when they host the Washington Wizards on Friday.
The Nets dropped a 114-111 decision to Atlanta on Wednesday to fall into a tie with Boston, though the Celtics own the head-to-head tiebreaker and therefore the No. 7 spot at the moment. The Wizards are in their own race for positioning and are competing with the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Washington improved to 2-0 on its three-game road trip with a 119-90 pasting of the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday and is turning up the defense as it tunes up for the playoffs. “We’re trying to win every game,” Wizards guard Ramon Sessions told the Washington Post. “We’re just taking it game by game. We got the win (Wednesday) and we just got to focus on Brooklyn Friday and try to get another one.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (45-33): Washington may have put together its most complete game on both ends Wednesday despite the absence of point guard John Wall, who sat to rest. The Wizards put seven players in double figures and shot a franchise-record 65.3 percent from the field without their leader while holding the 76ers to 34.8 percent on the other end. “When we keep it simple and move the ball, we got guys that can make plays and make shots,” Washington coach Randy Wittman told reporters. “And that showed (on Wednesday).”
ABOUT THE NETS (36-42): Brooklyn has dropped two of three since a string of six straight victories, and both of those setbacks came against a possible first-round opponent in the Hawks. The Nets put together a much better effort in Wednesday’s 114-111 loss than in Saturday’s 131-99 setback in Atlanta and can control their own destiny the rest of the way. Brooklyn will play three more teams above them in the East standings among the final four games – three of four at home - and had a five-game home winning streak come to an end with Wednesday’s setback.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Wizards F Nene (shoulder) missed the last two games and is day-to-day.
2. Brooklyn F Thaddeus Young is averaging 18 points on 60.6 percent shooting in the last five games.
3. Washington took the last two meetings, including a 114-77 drubbing at home on Feb. 7.