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Wizards, Pelicans set for Big Easy battle

Jan 8, 2014 - 3:42 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Wizards snapped a three-game losing streak and will try to keep the momentum going Wednesday night when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Wiz dropped three straight, all at home, until a 97-83 road victory Tuesday night over the Charlotte Bobcats.

Bradley Beal poured in 21 points and Marcin Gortat scored 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to give the Wizards their eighth road victory of the season. They had seven all of last season.

John Wall chipped in 17 points and eight assists for Washington, which got its first win of 2014 after losing at home to Dallas, Toronto and Golden State by an average of 12.6 points.

"It was great to get the victory out there tonight. We played hard and we played together and had fun out there," Gortat said.

Trevor Booker and Martell Webster both scored in double figures as well for the Wizards, who only committed seven turnovers on Tuesday.

Washington, which has won five of its last six on the road, visits Indiana on Friday to complete this trek.

The Pelicans have lost two straight and went 1-3 on a recent road trip.

On Tuesday, New Orleans fell victim to the two-time defending NBA champions, the Miami Heat, 107-88. The Pelicans, who lost to the Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves, but beat the Boston Celtics on this excursion, failed to score 100 points for the third straight outing.

Anthony Davis had 22 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans contributed 15 and 13 points, respectively.

The Pelicans turned a 49-43 halftime lead into an 11-point edge early in the third quarter, but the Heat responded to tie it at 59 at 5:49. Miami outscored the Pelicans 64-39 in the final 24 minutes after trailing by six at halftime.

"We lost some fight when they got the lead," Davis said. "We didn't have that focus."

On the injury front, the Pelicans announced that leading scorer Ryan Anderson is out indefinitely with a herniated disc.

Anderson was taken off the court on a stretcher following a collision with Boston's Gerald Wallace in the fourth quarter of last Friday's game against the Celtics at TD Garden.

The Wizards swept both of last season's matchups and have won three in a row in the series. Washington has taken four of its last six down in the Big Easy.