Washington Wizards: 3 keys to keeping the win streak alive

1. Holding their opponent under 100 points

The Washington Wizards weren’t the toughest defensive team in the beginning. They rank 18th in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 105.9 points per game, but in their previous three games, they’ve allowed fewer than 100 points. In fact, the Wizards are 5-0 this season when allowing fewer than 100 points.

They forced a season-high 24 turnovers against the Atlanta Hawks last Saturday night in a 113-94 victory. Their defense has forced 17.7 turnovers per game and held opponents to 93.7 points per game in the same span.

Hassan Whiteside has been quite the paint presence, averaging 1.9 blocks per game. He ranks seventh in the NBA in that category.

The Wizards seem to have figured things out on defense in their past few games. They’ve held their opponents to 39.1 percent shooting from the field and 36.7 percent from 3-point range.

Next: 2017-18 Week 5 NBA Power Rankings

Defense is the name of the game for the Wizards on Wednesday and Friday night. The Heat offense ranks 25th in the league in points per game (101.9) but they’re also eighth in points allowed per game (103.1).