Wizards-Hornets Preview

(AP) -- The Charlotte Hornets have the No. 1 scoring defense in the NBA since Jan. 1, a dramatic improvement that has allowed them to charge up the Eastern Conference standings.

It has propelled them to go 11-4 in 2015 despite injuries that have sidelined top players Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson and key reserves Bismack Biyombo and Marvin Williams.

Now, they'll try to parlay that stingy play to another victory over the slumping Washington Wizards on Thursday night.

The Hornets (21-27) are limiting opponents to a league-low 89.4 points per game and 39.7 percent field goal shooting during that past five-plus weeks.

Second-year coach Steve Clifford attributes that to a team defense that is "more tied together" and playing with more discipline in recent weeks.

"As a group we have realized that is our way to win," Clifford said.

Scheduling also could easily be attributed as a factor.

The early part of Charlotte's schedule was loaded with tough Western Conference opponents, and now the Hornets have been feasting on some easier Eastern foes.

But there have also been several games where the Hornets have held their own against tough foes, including a 92-88 win over Washington (31-19) on Monday night.

Clifford concedes the early stretch was tough, but it was compounded by the Hornets simply not playing well.

However, that has changed for the Hornets, who have the seventh-best record in the East after a 10-23 start.

"It's a tribute to our group that they have slowly embraced the fact that to win in this league you have to be good at something - and our chance is to be good at defending and rebounding," Clifford said. "And then, how far the offense can go will determine how good we get."

The Hornets are a surprising 5-1 without Walker, their leading scorer who is out at least six weeks with a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee. Jefferson is just now rounding back into form after a groin injury.

Still, the defense has steadily improved.

The Hornets were 20th in the league in points allowed (100.4) and 24th in opponent's field goal percentage (46.1) in their first 33 games.

The improved 3-point defense, in particular, has been a factor. A team that was allowing opponents to make nearly 37 percent from beyond the arc in 2014, has reduced that to 31.9 percent since the turn of the new year.

Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, one of the team's top defenders, attributed Charlotte's turnaround to a "trust factor" not only with each other, but in Clifford's system.

"You can't (count on) offense every night, but you can focus and make sure you're good on defense every night," Kidd-Gilchrist said.

The Hornets have held to Wizards to an average of 88.8 points while winning four straight meetings, including a 100-94 home victory on March 31.

Washington enters this visit trying to avoid its longest slide since losing six straight to end 2012-13.

The Wizards got closer to matching that dubious mark Wednesday, falling 105-96 at Atlanta despite getting 47 combined points from guards John Wall and Bradley Beal. The defeat dropped Washington, which has lost four in a row, 10 games behind the Hawks in the Southeast Division.

Wall has struggled against the Hornets, averaging 13.3 points while making 29.2 percent from the floor - 1 of 7 from long range - over the past three meetings.

Beal hasn't been much better over the past four, scoring 16.0 points per game. He had a team-high 20 at Charlotte on March 31, but Wall was held to 10 on 4-of-16 shooting.