Wizards (38-28), Pelicans (38-27)
New Orleans just put together its best stretch of basketball in seven years, winning 10 straight games despite playing without four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins. The Pelicans’ first attempt Friday at playing without both Cousins and Anthony Davis did not turn out quite as favorably.
Washington took control in the first half, building a 15-point halftime advantage, en route to limiting New Orleans to an extremely rare poor performance on offense. The Pelicans had scored at least 114 points during every game of their 10-game winning streak, shooting at least 50 percent from the field in three of the last four games.