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Hornets face Wizards looking to avoid third straight loss

Feb 25, 2008 - 3:38 PM Washington (26-29) at New Orleans (37-17) 8:00 pm EST

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- After dropping a pair of games to Southwest Division rivals, the New Orleans Hornets are hoping for a different result Monday against the fading Washington Wizards.

The Hornets, tied for first place with defending NBA champion San Antonio, have lost three straight games on only two occasions this season.

New Orleans has beaten the Wizards 10 consecutive times since the Charlotte Hornets lost to Washington, 95-77, on November 1, 2000.

The Wizards have lost 10 of their last 12 games. Leading scorer Gilbert Arenas has been out since left knee surgery on November 21 and All-Star forward Caron Butler has missed 11 of 13 games due to a hip flexor strain. Butler's return to the lineup is unknown.

"(Butler) is not ready to go," Washington coach Eddie Jordan said. "No long-range plan right now. He's not ready to practice. We may even cut back on some of his extraneous rehabbing - maybe calm him down a little more."

The Wizards are coming off a rare victory, putting five players in double figures in a 110-95 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday.

New Orleans is 18-9 at home, one game worse than its road record. Washington is 10-17 on the road, including a 1-9 mark in its last 10 games. The teams will wrap up the two-game season series March 2 in Charlotte.