Kevin Durant is not buying into the notion some analysts had brought to the forefront, stating the Washington Wizards had become better without starter John Wall running point for the team, as they had bested their assists total and assist-to-turnover ratio in the first few games without him.

“That's from people that don't understand basketball,” said Durant, who scoffed at the idea. “You guys know what really goes on, and if you say you don't need one of the best point guards in the league on your team, I don't know if you should be in this game as a front office exec. You definitely need a guy like that and to see how the (Wizards) are playing without him, it just shows that they have a lot of pride.”

The Golden State Warriors spent over an hour during their shootaround at the nation's capital, a clear sign that they're taking this Wall-less Wizards team very seriously upon this East coast road trip.

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Washington has done well since Wall underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure on his left knee at the end of January, setting him out for six-to-eight weeks, just in time to catch the end of the regular season.

His backup Tomas Satoransky has flourished as a dynamic passer, while Tim Frazier has been a welcome addition as a game-manager, the same role he took in his time with the New Orleans Pelicans last season.

The Wizards lost a narrow outing earlier in the season, a 120-117 defeat against the Warriors during their fifth game of this current campaign, looking to even the score this time around.