Hornets at Wizards
The Washington Wizards have lost four of the last five games and allowed over 100 points in eight straight contests. The Wizards will try to find something on the defensive end when they host one of the teams that sprinted past in the Southeast Division in the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
“We’re not a team that’s going to be able to outscore people,” Washington point guard John Wall told reporters, “and that’s what we’re trying to do right now.” The Wizards picked up a 97-85 victory at Cleveland on Dec. 1 but have since allowed an average of 109.6 points while dropping six of nine and have dropped to near the bottom of the league in defensive field-goal percentage (46.9). The Hornets held nine of their last 11 opponents under 100 points, beginning with a 101-87 triumph at home over Washington on Nov. 25. Charlotte snapped a brief two-game slide and won for the fifth time in seven games by turning to Jeremy Lin in a 109-99 overtime triumph over Toronto on Thursday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (15-10): Lin has spent most of the season coming off the bench but got the starting nod with Nicolas Batum ailing and poured in a season-high 35 points on 13-of-22 shooting in 47 minutes. Lin, Batum, Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb are pushing the team forward with their play from the backcourt and combine to average 58.1 points. Walker added 27 points, seven assists and six rebounds during Thursday’s win.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (10-14): “When the play breaks down and we’re just playing basketball, it might be a random pick and roll or a random cross screen or a random cut backdoor, we’re not talking enough, we’re not communicating enough, we’re not aware enough,” guard Garrett Temple told the Washington Post. “And those are basic principles of defense: Communicate, see man and ball.” The defensive breakdowns showed up at the wrong time again on Wednesday, when the Wizards allowed the San Antonio Spurs to shoot 53 percent in a 114-95 loss. That came two nights after allowing the Memphis Grizzlies to shoot 56.4 percent in a 112-95 setback.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hornets G P.J. Hairston (foot) and Batum (illness) are both questionable.
2. Wizards F Otto Porter Jr. (thigh) and C Nene (calf) are day-to-day.
3. Charlotte has taken six of the last eight in the series.