Hornets head to nation’s capital to take on the Wizards

What: Charlotte Hornets (25-33) vs. Washington Wizards (34-24)

Where: Capital One Arena; Washington, D.C.

When: 7:00 p.m. EST

How to watch: Fox Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Basketball continues tonight, as the Charlotte Hornets take on the Washington Wizards on the road.

Charlotte will look to make it two wins in as many days following a, 111-96, win against the Brooklyn Nets last night. Kemba Walker was electric, finishing with 31 points -- scoring 14 of them in the fourth quarter. Dwight Howard nearly broke the Hornets single game rebounding record, coming one shy of Emeka Okafor’s 25 rebound mark set way back in the Bobcats days.

Walker and Howard will have to continue that good form tonight. The Wizards haven’t slowed down since John Wall injured his knee 10 games ago. They are 9-2 since the injury, thanks largely to the continued strong play of Bradley Beal. The All-Star guard is averaging 23.6 points per game this season, and that figure has remained consistent since Wall’s injury.

Starting in Wall’s place is Tomas Satoransky. The second year man is having solid February, averaging 12.6 points and 5.7 assists this month, both of which more than double his season averages. He played 26 minutes against the Hornets the last time the teams met, but scored just six points.

Charlotte is 2-0 against Washington so far this season, but expect a tough game nonetheless. The Hornets embarrassed the Wizards last time they met, which, if you remember, was the night Scott Brooks sent Howard to the line to take free throws for Michael Carter-Williams. It’s still the highlight of the season, in my opinion.

But embarrassing losses can fuel the desire for revenge, and Washington won’t want to go down 3-0 to the Hornets in the season series. Even without Wall, they can score effectively, ranking in the top 10 in overall field goal and 3-point percentage. Charlotte might have the fatigue advantage — they did after all win fairly easily against the Nets while Washington is coming off a hard earned road win against the Cavaliers — but the Hornets are also too unpredictable for something like that to necessarily matter.

But look, if Charlotte is as serious as making one more run at the playoffs as they say they are, a win over Washington looks a whole lot better than wins over the Nets and Magic. With two home games coming up following tonight, Charlotte has a chance to make up some ground, and a road win over the best team in the Southeast Division would certainly build momentum heading into that small home stretch.