Timberwolves at Wizards
The Washington Wizards can’t afford any more losses as they try to track down the Detroit Pistons for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards will try to bounce back from a loss when they host the dangerous Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
Washington had a five-game winning streak come to an end with a 122-101 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, dropping the team 2 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Pistons with the Chicago Bulls sitting in between in ninth. Defense had been the key during the winning streak but a letdown on that end Wednesday allowed the Hawks to bury 17 3-pointers and go off at 53.6 percent from the floor. The Timberwolves shot 56.3 percent from the floor in a 113-104 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, two nights after giving the NBA-best Golden State Warriors all they could handle in a tight loss. Minnesota is being led by rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns, who has broken through the rookie wall with six straight double-doubles.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (23-48): Towns went 11-of-17 from the floor and finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds on Wednesday, providing a strong anchor inside for slashing second-year wings Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins. Those two guards each scored 23 points on Wednesday and logged a combined 85 minutes – the second straight game that both Wiggins and LaVine went over 40 minutes each. LaVine is averaging 22.6 points on 55.4 percent shooting in the last five games and has settled nicely into a three-guard starting lineup alongside Wiggins and Ricky Rubio.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (35-36): Washington squandered its chance to pull over .500 for the first time since November with Wednesday’s setback and is looking at just 11 regular-season games left to make up the gap and make the playoffs. “We still have life,” Wizards guard Garrett Temple told the Washington Post. “There’s still a great chance for us to get into the playoffs. We win five in a row again, trust me, we’ll be all right.” The schedule is not lining up in favor of the Wizards, who will head out on a five-game trip after Friday’s game and will play seven of the last 10 games on the road.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Rubio handed out double-digit assists in seven of the last nine games but managed only six in a 104-98 home loss to the Wizards on March 2.
2. Washington PG John Wall has recorded seven straight double-doubles, including a pair of triple-doubles.
3. Minnesota's loss on March 2 ended a six-game winning streak for the home team in the series.