Programming note: Warriors-Wizards coverage starts today at 4pm on CSN Bay Area, and streaming live right here.
WASHINGTON – The Warriors want to be in the best of moods when they stroll into the White House, and one way to assure that is with a victory over the struggling Wizards on Wednesday night.
The visit with President Barack Obama to celebrate the 2015 NBA Championship doesn’t come until Thursday. Meanwhile, the Warriors (44-4) will invade Verizon Center in hopes of concluding their three-game road trip with a victory that would push their win streak to eight.
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One season after earning a No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Wizards (21-25) have battled injuries and been mired in the bottom half of the conference all season. They have been afflicted by injuries, but the bigger issue is their 24th-ranked defense and last-place rebounding.
[RELATED: John Wall praises Warriors, but 'they're a beatable team']
The Warriors, with a 22-4 road record, best in the NBA, will seek to quickly silence the Wizards, whose 10-15 home record is worse than all but four teams in the league.
BETTING LINE
Golden State Warriors
Warriors by 10.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Steph Curry vs. John Wall: There was a time, not so long ago, when debate raged over who was the better point guard. Curry’s rise over the past two seasons ended the argument. Wall, however, is very good and one of the fastest players in the NBA. His problem has been inconsistency. On his best nights, he can at least breathe Curry’s air. He’ll have to match Curry to give the Wizards a real chance in this game.
LAST 10
Warriors: 8-2
Wizards: 4-6.
INJURY REPORT
Warriors: C Festus Ezeli (L knee soreness) and F James Michael McAdoo (L foot toe sprain) are listed as out.
Wizards: F Alan Anderson (L ankle surgery) and F Kris Humphries (R knee soreness) are listed as out.
ROSTER UPDATE
The Warriors on Wednesday recalled F Kevon Looney from D-League Santa Cruz.
SERIES HISTORY
The Warriors last season swept the two-game series and have won eight of the last nine meetings overall. They have won five in a row in Washington, with the last loss coming on April 6, 2010.
QUOTABLE
“You’ve got one of the best teams arguably in NBA history coming in. And if we keep playing the same way we are, they’ll score 150.” – Wizards forward Jared Dudley, on facing the Warriors