• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Wizards make a stop in Milwaukee

Mar 8, 2014 - 3:22 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Wizards have been on a roll of late and will try to keep it going Saturday night when they visit the Bradley Center to take on the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Wizards have won seven of their last eight and vaulted up to fifth in the Eastern Conference. During that stretch, Washington has won four in a row as the visitor.

On Wednesday, the Wizards had an easy time of it against the Utah Jazz, winning by a 104-91 score at the Verizon Center.

Trevor Ariza scored 26 points, Bradley Beal added 22 and John Wall chipped in 14 points and 10 assists for the Wizards, who bounced back into the win column after having their six-game winning streak stopped by Memphis on Monday.

They did it by shooting 54.3 percent from the floor and outscoring the Jazz in the paint by a wide 56-36 margin.

Drew Gooden, who had gone scoreless in limited action since signing a 10-day contract with Washington last week, totaled 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

"I've been playing this game for 12 years," Gooden said. "I actually think what helped me was the time off, being able to observe the game from the house, from the couch, and know the type of player I'm going to be the next time I had the opportunity to get a shot."

Milwaukee is back home after dropping a 112-104 decision at New Orleans Friday night. Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 25 points and Jeff Adrien ended with 20 and 10 rebounds.

Ramon Sessions and Brandon Knight scored 16 and 15 points, respectively, for the Bucks, who have lost two in a row and 10 of 13 games. The Bucks have the NBA's worst record at 12-49.

Milwaukee entered the game without starting forward Ersan Ilyasova, who was suspended for throwing a punch in a game Wednesday. The Bucks then lost guard O.J. Mayo to an ejection for a flagrant-2 foul late in the first quarter.

Mayo collided with Pelicans center Greg Stiemsma on a screen.

"I reacted the wrong way and handled it for sure the wrong way," Mayo said on NBA.com. "I want to apologize to the Bucks fanbase, the city of Milwaukee and obviously New Orleans and the (fans) who came out and watched the game. It's definitely the wrong way to conduct yourself. I've got to be better and I will."

The Bucks will play their next two games at home versus Washington and Orlando, and have dropped seven of the past nine at the Bradley Center, where they have a 7-25 record.

Milwaukee and Washington have split two meetings this season with the visitor prevailing each time in overtime. The Wizards have taken three of the last four overall in this series and two straight in Brew City.