Grizzlies at Wizards
The Washington Wizards are riding their home dominance up the standings in the Eastern Conference and aim for their 13th straight win in front of the home fans when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Wizards are trying to sweep a three-game homestand after beating Philadelphia and Portland by a combined 35 points.
Washington got hot early on Monday and knocked down 13-of-23 from 3-point range in a 120-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers that lifted the team a season-high two games over .500. "We were moving the basketball offensively, and then we were making shots," Wizards coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "All the 3s we made in that first quarter were all from good ball movement and extra passing. We’ve been focusing on that." The Grizzlies had no trouble defending the outside shot in their last game but allowed 48 points in the paint in a 108-104 home loss to the Chicago Bulls. Memphis dropped two of three and six of its last 11 games, with all but one of those setbacks coming on the road.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Memphis), CSN Mid-Atlantic (Washington)
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (25-18): Veteran power forward Zach Randolph held his own in Chicago and recorded 15 points and 16 rebounds off the bench to mark his fourth double-double in the last five games, but was 7-of-19 from the floor. "We are searching for consistency and just playing our basketball," Randolph told reporters. "(Sunday was) one of those games. We played hard, the effort was there. I missed a lot of easy shots around the basket. They hit big shots in the end and that was the game." Randolph lobbied for more playing time alongside center Marc Gasol and is thriving in extended minutes while posting 17 points and 11.8 rebounds in an average of 29 minutes in the last five contests.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (21-19): Washington will put pressure on any team's backcourt and watched John Wall and Bradley Beal get the better of Portland's vaunted duo - Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum - on Monday. Wall and Beal combined for 49 points on 17-of-28 shooting, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, in the win after going for 45 points on 17-of-32 - 5-of-7 from beyond the arc - in Saturday's 109-93 triumph over Philadelphia. Beal is averaging 24.9 points while shooting 45.6 percent from 3-point range in eight games this month.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Wizards SF Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 18 points on Monday after totaling nine in the previous three games.
2. Grizzlies SG Troy Daniels went 0-of-5 from 3-point range on Sunday to snap a string of 13 straight games with at least one 3-pointer.
3. Gasol scored eight of his 20 points in overtime when Memphis earned a 112-103 win over visiting Washington on Oct. 30.