Improved Wizards face Nets and seek eighth straight home win (Dec 30, 2016)
WASHINGTON -- When one of the NBA's hottest teams faces the team with the league's second-worst record, John Wall and the Washington Wizards will get a chance to show the Brooklyn Nets just how much they've improved.
The Wizards (15-16) look to sweep a three-game homestand and win their eighth straight at home Friday night in their second meeting against the Nets (8-23) this season.
Washington triumphed in Brooklyn by rallying from a 16-point halftime deficit to get a victory 118-113 on Dec. 5. The Wizards had not found their groove yet as evidenced by a 124-116 loss to the Orlando Magic in the next game.
Since then, the Wizards are 8-3. That includes Wednesday's 111-105 win over the Indiana Pacers.
With Bradley Beal sitting out the second half with an ankle injury suffered in the first quarter, Wall stuffed the stat sheet with a near triple-double. He scored 23 of his 36 points after halftime to go with 11 rebounds and nine assists.
"Well, for me, I was kinda just still trying to be aggressive, but get everybody involved," Wall said. "Coach (Scott Brooks) said he would be back and was just getting tape but then like a couple minutes went by and I said What is he doing? Is he coming back? And he said 'No, he's out.' I think took a mindset approach of being more aggressive and trying to get to the basket."
The three-time All-Star is averaging 24.9 points and 10.4 assists in December, but Wall is receiving ample help of late. Otto Porter's breakout season included 32 points in Monday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks and 22 against Indiana. Washington collectively outrebounded the Pacers 54-34. Simply winning without one of their starters available wasn't a realistic thought a few weeks back.
"I think we're just playing better," said center Marcin Gortat who is averaging 14.9 points and 11.7 rebounds. "I mean we understand the rotation, we understand the system, we understand what we got to do. The bench is playing much better."
Beal (right ankle sprain) is "questionable" to face the Nets, Brooks said Thursday.
Brooklyn's last two games were decided at the buzzer. Randy Foye's 3-pointer dumped the Charlotte Hornets 120-118 on Monday, but Chicago's Jimmy Butler played the hero role with a step-back jumper as the Bulls won 101-99 on Wednesday. The Nets fell to 3-11 in December and dropped their 12th straight road game since Nov. 12.
"We gave ourselves a shot," Nets center Brook Lopez said after scoring 33 points in the road loss. "We need to play like that every night."
Defense remains the primary concern. Brooklyn and the Phoenix Suns allow a league-high 114.3 points.
Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) will not face the Wizards. The point guard is expected to miss his second consecutive game after playing six games following a 17-game absence with the same injury from Nov. 4 to Dec. 12.
"I'll say this, the severity of it is not the same as the first one. This injury is not as severe," Nets general manager Sean Marks said to reporters before Wednesday's game. "He was evaluated 1/8Wednesday 3/8 by our doctors and some other sources on what's going on with him. It is a left hamstring strain, a different area to the first one, so it is not the same injury.
"They're not linked. We will not give a timeline simply because you never know. Every player's different. Some guys recover quicker than others."
Lin's absence leaves Foye, rookie Isaiah Whitehead and Spencer Dinwiddie to face Wall. Forward Joe Harris (hip pointer) is questionable for the Nets.
