Timberwolves-Wizards Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN

(AP) -- The Washington Wizards continue to take good care of their home court.

That doesn't bode well for the last-place Minnesota Timberwolves, who haven't enjoyed much success in the nation's capital.

The surging Wizards try to hand the Timberwolves a 10th loss in 11 visits to Washington on Tuesday night.

The Wizards (17-6) have won four straight and eight of nine overall, including seven in a row at home by an average of 12.5 points. Washington is 12-2 at the Verizon Center after opening 12-13 there last season.

"You want to be able to start off good and keep it going," point guard John Wall told the NBA's official website. "And have a record at home and protect home court compared to last year is a big key."

Bradley Beal scored 22 points while Wall added 16, five steals and three blocks in Sunday's 93-84 victory over Utah. Washington scored 25 points off 17 turnovers and held the Jazz to 38.5 percent shooting.

The Wizards are among the league leaders with a defensive rating of 98.8, the number of points allowed per 100 possessions.

"We take pride in it," Wall said. "That's what we've got on our board and we see it every day. I think it's just knowing how to be a great player, or (if) you want to be good, you have to be a two-way player. ... If you have the ability to be athletic, can play defense, and have the size, why not commit yourself to it?"

The Wizards had six assists and 12 turnovers in the first half before posting 14 and three over the final two quarters.

"Unfortunately, this is how we're preparing sometimes for the teams that are in the bottom half of the league," center Marcin Gortat said.

Washington has another favorable matchup against Minnesota (5-18), which is giving up an NBA-worst 115.6 points per game on the road. The Timberwolves, though, beat the visiting Wizards 120-98 in the last meeting Dec. 27 and hung tough in a 104-100 loss at Washington on Nov. 19, 2013. Beal had 25 points in that one while Wall posted 14 and 16 assists - one off his career high.

Minnesota is coming off Sunday's 100-94 loss to the Lakers, its eighth defeat in nine games. Shabazz Muhammad stayed hot with a career high-tying 28 points off the bench, but the Timberwolves were outscored 27-15 at the foul line.

Muhammad is averaging 17.9 points on 52.6 percent shooting and playing almost 25 minutes per game over the last nine contests.

"He probably plays as hard and aggressive as anyone in the league," coach Flip Saunders said, "so with that come opportunities."

Rookie Andrew Wiggins is averaging 19.5 points over a four-game stretch, up from his season mark of 12.8.

Saunders is making his return to Washington, where he coached for two-plus seasons before getting let go following a 2-15 start in 2011-12.

"You still have some memories from that," he said. "But those things are never really what people crank them up to be."

The Wizards have won their last five matchups against the Western Conference, their longest single-season run since opening 9-0 in 1997-98.

Washington is 12-1 when Wall shoots above 40.0 percent, and opponents are shooting 49.3 against Minnesota for the NBA's highest mark.