Wizards at Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are nothing if not streaky, and right now they are streaking in the wrong direction. The Pelicans will try to pull out of their latest funk and snap a four-game slide when they host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
New Orleans won its first four games, dropped the next six and won six of the following seven before beginning the latest slide, and could not overcome their defensive shortcomings in a 124-107 home loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday. The Pelicans, who fell at Washington 124-114 on Saturday, allow an average of 117.6 points and let the struggling Celtics shoot 49.5 percent from the field while knocking down 19 3-pointers. New Orleans will have to figure out a way to defend the perimeter against the Wizards, who got 68 points out of backcourt partners John Wall and Bradley Beal in a 135-131 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday. "You watched a lot of high-level players play at a high level," Washington coach Scott Brooks told reporters after watching Beal and Wall combine with Houston starters James Harden and Eric Gordon to score 158 points. "Amazing players all had great games, and the role players played like stars in their roles."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington, FS New Orleans
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (8-12): Beal and Wall were both strong on Monday but the difference in the game was the play off the bench of power forward Markieff Morris, who finished with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting in 41 minutes. "I give Markieff (Morris) a lot of credit," Brooks told reporters. "He's stepped up. It's not an easy thing to accept, but that's what he does. He's a team guy, he made the adjustment and he's played well in that role. He's playing his best basketball off the bench. He's an important part of our team and he made a lot of big plays tonight." Morris is averaging 16.3 points in four games off the bench after posting 9.7 points in 15 games as a starter.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (10-11): New Orleans believes some of its problems on the defensive end stem from allowing teams extra possessions with turnovers on the other end of the floor. The Pelicans surrendered 32 points off 22 turnovers on Monday. "I thought the turnovers we had tonight were really simplistic plays that we just didn’t make," New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "So, I don't think we were trying to do anything really difficult or hard. They just played the passing lanes and we made some tough decisions - some bad decisions."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Pelicans star PF Anthony Davis (hip) returned from a one-game absence on Monday and recorded 27 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
2. Wizards C Dwight Howard (glute soreness) sat out the last four games and is day-to-day.
3. Washington took the last six in the series.