Wizards at Pelicans
Following a bad loss at home, the Washington Wizards begin their longest road trip of the first half of the season - a four-game trek - when they visit New Orleans on Friday. The Wizards led by as many as six points in the fourth quarter and still held an advantage with under three minutes remaining before limping to the finish line in a 109-102 loss to Houston on Wednesday.
John Wall continued his hot stretch with 26 points and 12 assists but he missed all four of his 3-point tries as Washington was limited to 5-of-25 showing from long range. The Wizards have won seven straight meetings with the Pelicans, who have lost five of their last six and have given up at least 101 points in eight consecutive contests. "We have to do a much, much better job if we even want to be a competitive team," coach Alvin Gentry told reporters following a 111-93 loss at home against Boston on Monday. "I'm very disappointed." Much of that disappointment might be directed at starting guards Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans, who combined for zero points on 0-of-7 shooting with six turnovers.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (9-11): Washington might be entering this four-game road stretch with a slight dose of optimism, as the bulk of its issues have come to light at home. "At home, for whatever reason, we come out and play too cool, too soft," coach Randy Wittman told the media. "It happens almost every home game." The Wizards' last two road games resulted in impressive double-digit victories at Cleveland and Miami, with Wall averaging 30.5 points on 62.2 percent shooting.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (5-16): Perhaps New Orleans can take advantage of some notable time off, as Friday's contest is just their third in a span of nine days, each of them at home. Additionally, only one starter - Anthony Davis - played more than 18 minutes against the Celtics, which should make for a very well-rested unit Friday night. Reserve big man Kendrick Perkins (pectoral) also might return from a lengthy absence, which could lend more toughness to a soft defensive squad that gives up a league-high 109.1 points a game.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pelicans PF Ryan Anderson is averaging 20.3 points in 10 home games.
2. Washington ranks 26th in field-goal percentage defense (46.3), while New Orleans is 28th (46.4).
3. Wizards C Marcin Gortat, who returned from a three-game absence Wednesday to score 18 points and grab 13 rebounds, averaged 17 points and nine boards in the two-game sweep of New Orleans last season.