Sacramento @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 11, 2019 ) Sacramento 115, Washington 121

The Washington Wizards just need a few things to go right on the defensive end, the offense will take care of the rest. The Wizards will look for their third straight win and fourth in five games when they host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

Washington is second in the NBA in scoring at an average of 120.1 points and scored at least 121 in each of the last five but did not have Friday's matchup against the Charlotte Hornets in hand until it locked down on the defensive end in the fourth quarter and overcame a 13-point deficit. "We were down 13 and things weren't going our way," Wizards coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "I just told the guys we have a lot of game left, there's probably going to be another 20 possessions left to this game. We just have to make sure to give us a chance to win. Most of them have to be physical, defensive possessions, whether we get a stop, we got to give ourselves a chance. I thought the guys did that." The Kings hit the road with plenty of momentum and wins in six of eight but began the four-game trip with a thud on Friday, dropping a 116-97 decision at Brooklyn. Sacramento went 4-of-26 from 3-point range in the loss and allowed the Nets to shoot 50.6 percent from the floor despite Brooklyn missing star guard Kyrie Irving.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE KINGS (6-8): Sacramento started the trip shorthanded in the backcourt with point guard De'Aaron Fox and shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) sitting out the contest, leaving the team without two of its top three scorers. Fox (ankle) will not play on the road trip while Bogdanovic is day-to-day, and leading scorer Buddy Hield could not pick up the slack while going 6-of-15 from the floor on Friday, including 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. Rookie shooting guard Justin James enjoyed his most playing time of the season on Friday at 33 minutes - 18 more than the total from his only other four NBA games - and scored a season-high 14 points.

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (5-8): Washington has a chance to sweep a three-game homestand on Sunday before heading west for a four-game trip and understands the significance of winning at home. "For one, just protecting our house, but two, it gives a little bit of flow, some juice moving forward," star guard Bradley Beal told reporters. "We got one more here, but we know we got a tough one on the road coming up. Those are going to be all tough. I think getting these at home, running some games off, it will give us some confidence to go on the road and take care of business." Beal handed out a season-high 12 assists and scored 30 points on Friday - his fifth consecutive 30-plus effort and eighth in the last 10 games.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Wizards C Thomas Bryant collected 21 points and 11 rebounds on Friday for his fifth double-double of the season.

2. Sacramento PF Richaun Holmes is 13-of-17 from the floor over the last two games.

3. The teams split two meetings last season, with each winning at home.

PREDICTION: Wizards 128, Kings 122