Hornets at Wizards
The Charlotte Hornets were cruising along with wins in three straight games and five of seven before hitting a snag on the road. The Hornets will try to avoid a third straight loss when they continue their five-game trip by visiting the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
Charlotte allowed an average of 88.7 points during its three-game winning streak but surrendered an average of 113 in back-to-back losses to Cleveland and Indiana to begin the trip. The Hornets are trying to prove they have what it takes to be counted among the Eastern Conference's elite but shot just 33.3 percent from the floor against the Pacers and allowed 65 points in the second half. The Wizards are just trying to prove they can make a run at a No. 8 spot but are having some trouble doing that after dropping a 112-101 decision at Miami on Monday. Washington came into that game with some momentum after two home wins and will try to find that magic again in their own building, where they play three straight starting with Charlotte.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (14-11): Star point guard Kemba Walker suffered a contusion after banging knees with Cleveland's LeBron James in Saturday's 116-105 loss and struggled from the floor against the Pacers. Walker did not seem limited by the injury but was the focus of the Indiana defensive scheme and ended up with a season-low 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Walker was not alone in his struggles as backcourt mate Nicolas Batum went 4-of-13 from the field and is 8-of-25 on the road trip.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (9-14): Washington fell to 2-8 on the road with Monday's loss but is 7-6 at home, including wins in the last two in its own building. The Wizards got a combined 59 points from John Wall and Bradley Beal on Monday but no one else managed more than Markieff Morris' 10 points as they failed to take advantage of the injury-plagued Heat. Washington won the last three games in which Wall scored 25 or fewer points but lost during his 52-point explosion against Orlando last week and fell again when he reached 30 on Monday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Charlotte SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went 1-of-9 from the floor on Monday and is shooting 30.8 percent in the last four contests.
2. Beal needs four 3-pointers to join Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison as the only players in Wizards history with at least 500.
3. The teams split four meetings last season, with Washington winning both games on its home floor.