Wizards at Lakers
The Washington Wizards took a step back in the playoff race with a double-overtime home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday and need to recover quickly. The Wizards will continue their push toward the postseason from the road and open a five-game trip at the struggling Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
The Wizards put themselves back in the race for the No. 8 spot in the East with a five-game winning streak but have since dropped two straight, including the crushing defeat on Friday night. “It was a horrible loss,” Washington guard Bradley Beal told the Washington Post. “Plain and simple. There’s no explanation about it. We shouldn’t have lost that game.” The Wizards will enter play on Sunday at least three games behind the eighth-place Detroit Pistons in the standings and play seven of their final 10 games on the road. The Lakers are down to the final 10 games of Kobe Bryant’s Hall of Fame career and the star managed a game-high 28 points in a 116-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), TWC SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (35-37): The key to Washington’s five-game winning streak was a team defensive effort that held opponents to an average of 92.4 points, but that defense took a big step back over the last two contests. “We couldn’t close it out,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman told reporters after Friday’s setback. “It didn’t come down to the last minutes. We lost the game in the first half playing absolutely zero defense.” The Timberwolves shot 53.1 percent from the floor in the 132-129 triumph after the Atlanta Hawks shot 53.6 percent in a 122-101 loss on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (15-57): Bryant has put together three solid performances in a row after sitting out two games to rest nagging injuries and plans to play in each of the remaining contests. "I'm just trying to save up and have as much energy as possible to try to play all of these games and just give it absolutely all I can," Bryant told reporters. Los Angeles might need Bryant’s scoring more than usual on Sunday if rookie guard D’Angelo Russell, who left Friday’s game with an ankle injury, is unable to play.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Wizards F Markieff Morris (calf) left Friday’s game and is day-to-day.
2. Lakers F Julius Randle recorded his first career triple-double with 13 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists on Friday.
3. Los Angeles earned a 108-104 win at the Wizards on Dec. 2, ending Washington’s five-game winning streak in the series.