Wizards at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are trying to pull off the balancing act of fine tuning for the postseason, keeping players fresh and going after the record for regular-season wins. The Warriors will try to push their NBA-record home winning streak to 54 straight and draw one win closer to the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ regular-season mark when they host the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr wants the team to clean up its turnovers and tighten up the defense in preparation for the playoffs, and allowing the NBA-worst Philadelphia 76ers to shoot 46.7 percent while committing 18 turnovers in a 117-105 win on Sunday was not a giant step in the right direction. Klay Thompson’s 40 points, Draymond Green’s triple-double and an offense that handed out 32 assists ensured the Warriors would avoid a letdown, but bigger challenges remain. The Wizards are desperate for wins as they cling to hope of catching the Detroit Pistons for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference. Washington earned a 101-88 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday to draw within 2 1/2 games of the Pistons.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington), CSN Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (36-37): Sunday’s performance marked a big step in the right direction for Washington, which held the Lakers to 37.9 percent shooting after allowing its previous two opponents to shoot better than 53 percent from the field in a pair of losses. The win marked the opener of a five-game road trip for the Wizards, who will see two more losing teams in Sacramento and Phoenix later in the trip. All-Star point guard John Wall is doing his part to keep the team in the race and recorded 22 points and 13 assists on Sunday for his ninth straight double-double.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (66-7): Thompson scored 40 points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career and Green extended his franchise single-season record with his 12th triple-double on Sunday, and Kerr came away pleased with the effort despite some mistakes. “I know how much of a grind this is at this point, especially down several guys,” Kerr told reporters. “I’m proud of them. They continue to put forth the effort and grind out these wins.” Kerr rested reserves Shaun Livingston and Anderson Varejao on Sunday but does not expect to rest any starters as Golden State gears up for back-to-back games on Tuesday and at Utah on Wednesday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors need to go 7-2 over their final nine games to break Chicago’s record, and they have not lost three times in any nine-game stretch this season.
2. Wizards C Marcin Gortat posted a double-double in five of the last six games and is shooting 66.7 percent from the field in that span.
3. Stephen Curry buried 11 3-pointers en route to 51 points and Green posted a triple-double to help overcome 41 points from Wall in a 134-121 win at Washington on Feb. 3.