(SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Wizards will try to put the brakes on a two-game losing streak Saturday night when the New Orleans Pelicans visit the Verizon Center.
The Wizards lost back-to-back games for the first this season thanks to a four-point home loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, then a 26-point pasting at the hands of the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Wednesday.
LeBron James, who scored 22 points on just 38 percent shooting in Cleveland's 91-78 loss to the Wizards last Friday, poured in 29 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
Rasual Butler led the Wizards with 23 points off the bench, while Paul Pierce supplied 15 and Marcin Gortat added 12 in the setback.
"We didn't do a good job of keeping them out of transition, limiting our turnovers and on top of that we fouled way too much," said Pierce.
It was a tough night for Washington's highly-touted backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal. One game after they combined for 13 turnovers, Wall had six points with seven assists and a team-high four rebounds, while Beal, who made his first start of the season for Washington, had 10 points.
The Wizards are home for four straight and will welcome the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets on this residency.
New Orleans has lost two straight and three of its last four games, and dropped a 100-91 decision in Atlanta Friday night.
Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday scored 20 points apiece, while Tyreke Evans ended with 18 points and Anthony Davis added 14 and 11 rebounds.
"We missed a ton of shots," said Pelicans coach Monty Williams. "I thought we got good looks and our guys just missed shots."
The Pelicans are 3-5 on the road this season.
The Wizards have won five straight in this series and six of the previous nine in the nation's capital.
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