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Washington faces New Orleans, aims to break 7-game skid

Washington Wizards (16-46, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (20-45, 13th in the Western Conference)

New Orleans; Sunday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington comes into the matchup against New Orleans after losing seven straight games.

The Pelicans are 11-21 in home games. New Orleans leads the NBA with 57.5 points in the paint. Zion Williamson leads the Pelicans averaging 15.8.

The Wizards are 5-24 on the road. Washington averages 15.1 turnovers per game and is 9-9 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents.

The Pelicans are shooting 46.3% from the field this season, 1.6 percentage points lower than the 47.9% the Wizards allow to opponents. The Pelicans average 112.2 points per game, 8.0 fewer points than the 120.2 the Pelicans allow.

The two teams match up for the second time this season. The Pelicans defeated the Wizards 128-107 in their last meeting on Jan. 10. Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with 35 points, and Kyshawn George led the Wizards with 15 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Derik Queen is shooting 48.3% and averaging 11.9 points for the Pelicans. Saddiq Bey is averaging 21.1 points over the last 10 games.

George is scoring 14.8 points per game with 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Wizards. Bilal Coulibaly is averaging 13.3 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 50.0% over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pelicans: 5-5, averaging 117.9 points, 45.9 rebounds, 25.9 assists, 8.3 steals and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.3 points per game.

Wizards: 2-8, averaging 112.6 points, 40.3 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 9.3 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 124.0 points.

INJURIES: Pelicans: None listed.

Wizards: Jamir Watkins: day to day (foot), Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (thigh), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Kyshawn George: day to day (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: day to day (not injury related), Alex Sarr: out (hamstring).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Peterson, Dybantsa, Boozer and Wilson wait to see who goes first in the NBA draft

CHICAGO (AP) — Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa had an epic showdown in high school, crossed paths in college and could be the top two picks in this year's NBA draft after starring at Kansas and BYU. That's if Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson don't have something to say about it. All four are considered potential stars and a clear cut above the rest in a loaded draft class. What remains to be seen is the order they will be taken. The Washington Wizards hold the No. 1 pick for the first time since they drafted John Wall in 2010. Utah, Memphis and Chicago round out the top four. “It would mean a lot,” Dybantsa said Wednesday at the NBA draft combine of being picked first. “It would just mean that all my hard work is paying off. All the countless hours and all the sacrifices I made have paid off.”
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