Wizards lose on a couple of counts
ATLANTA -- The Washington Wizards, just two games into their season, are already having their mettle tested. After losing to the Atlanta Hawks, 100-89, on Friday night at Philips Arena, the Wizards will arrive at Verizon Center for their home opener against New Jersey tonight with a 1-1 record and perhaps another man short.
This StoryWizards lose on a couple of countsFor Blatche, it's a 'new Dre'Box: Hawks 100, Wizards 89Wizards InsiderView All Items in This StoryView Only Top Items in This StoryCaron Butler was limited to just 17 minutes and didn't play in the second half after suffering a bruised left knee. In his absence, the Wizards leaned heavily on Gilbert Arenas, who scored a team-high 23 points but needed 22 shots. Brendan Haywood added 19 points and nine rebounds, but the Wizards didn't have enough to match a balanced Hawks team that had five players score in double figures, with Josh Smith scoring a team-high 20 points with two blocked shots.
The past two years, the Wizards had grown accustomed to playing without Arenas, and Butler and Antawn Jamison elevated their games, if not the fortunes of the franchise. But with Jamison already starting the season sidelined with a right shoulder injury, the Wizards then lost Butler for the entire second half of Friday's game. Butler scored just five points with four rebounds. His availability against the Nets is in doubt.
Andray Blatche had 13 points and Mike Miller had a team-high 10 rebounds, but the Wizards came unraveled after building an early 10-point lead. The rough night was summed up during a fourth-quarter sequence. Smith extended himself to block a three-point attempt by Arenas. After Hawks point guard Mike Bibby corralled the ball, Smith sprinted down the court and pointed toward the roof.
On cue, Bibby lobbed the ball toward the rim and the former slam dunk champion punished the rim with a dunk that gave the Hawks a 93-78 advantage. He screamed and shook his head, then bumped chests with Bibby, as Saunders called a timeout. The celebration started early for Atlanta, while the Wizards are again left to ponder another possible short-handed future.
Arenas substituted for Butler with seven minutes left in the second period and Butler never returned. During a 20-second timeout with about 50 seconds left in the first half, Saunders addressed his team but Butler stood at the opposite end of the Wizards bench, bending his leg and massaging his left knee. He later walked toward the locker room.
Butler came back out at halftime, but after warming up with his teammates, he continued grimace, shook his head and told head athletic trainer Eric Waters that he couldn't give it a go. Saunders inserted Nick Young into the lineup in place of Butler to start the third period, but Young, who didn't play in the season opener on Tuesday, had a dreadful game. After missing his first two shots of the half to make him 0 for 8 for the night, Saunders yanked him from the game and he didn't return.
The Hawks won all four meetings between the teams last season, but the Wizards arrived in Atlanta a much more confident bunch. They were armed with their best offensive weapon in Arenas, and were coming off an impressive 102-91 road win in Dallas to open the season.
Arenas dazzled the crowd in the opening minutes of the game, as he used a wicked crossover dribble to get Smith off-balance, then buried a 19-foot jumper over him. He would later cap a 12-0 first-quarter run when he knocked down a three-pointer and held in shooting hand in the air as he spun back on defense, forcing the Hawks to call a timeout. Arenas then elicited some gasps from the crowd when he whipped an over-the-shoulder pass to Haywood for a dunk that gave the Wizards a 15-5 lead.
After that, the Wizards flat-lined. All of the fluidity and crispness of the offense crumbled. They looked dizzy on defense, spinning around, while the Hawks went on a 24-9 run at the end of the first period.
The Hawks continued to pour it on in the second period, building the lead to 10 when newcomer Jamal Crawford hit a three-pointer from the left corner with 6 minutes 26 seconds remaining. The Wizards were able to cut the lead to 47-42 when Haywood drove and made a left-handed scoop layup, but the Hawks scored the next seven points, with Crawford hitting two free throws and runner in the lane, and Joe Smith hitting a corner three-pointer.
The Wizards trailed 56-44 near the end of the half, but it got worse when Arenas was called for traveling -- his fourth turnover of the half. The Hawks quickly worked the ball inside to center Al Horford who made a jump hook to give his team a 14-point lead at the break.
The Hawks led 65-54 when Saunders called on second-year center JaVale McGee to inject a life into his listless team. McGee got on the scoreboard in a few seconds when he ran down the court to catch an alley-oop from Randy Foye. McGee had seven points, two rebounds and two blocked shots in just 10 minutes.
Source: Washington Post
« Back to Sports News
Related News
-
John Kelly's Washington: Redskins Ban at FedEx Field, Raking Leaves, More Oct 30, 2009 @ 09:49 PM
Post Metro columnist John Kelly was online Friday, Oct. 30, at Noon ET to chat about the people and stories that don't make the front pages, plus his latest columns.
-
Washington falls, 100-89, in Atlanta after Butler leaves with bruised knee Oct 30, 2009 @ 09:49 PM
ATLANTA -- The Washington Wizards, just two games into their season, are already having their mettle tested. After losing to the Atlanta Hawks, 100-89, on Friday night at Philips Arena, the Wizards will arrive at Verizon Center for their home opener against New Jersey on Saturday with a 1-1 record and perhaps short another all-star forward.
-
Tiger dominates to reclaim No. 1 spot in fedex Cup Oct 30, 2009 @ 09:49 PM
LEMONT, Ill. — One of the slogans for the FedEx Cup is that "every shot counts," which proved meaningful even as Tiger Woods was well on his way to another blowout victory in the BMW Championship.
-
Before a Select Few, United Begins Playoff Push Oct 30, 2009 @ 09:49 PM
D.C. United's playoff fortunes will be clarified over the next six weeks at RFK Stadium, a reliably friendly setting where the club has yet to lose an MLS regular season match but has also settled for several maddening ties.
-
Yankees 6, Athletics 3 Yankees Beat Athletics for Seventh Straight Win Oct 30, 2009 @ 09:49 PM
The Yankees guaranteed $341 million to C. C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira last winter, muscling further past teams like the Oakland Athletics, who added rentals like Matt Holliday and fading veterans like Jason Giambi and Nomar Garciaparra. The difference is obvious on nights like Thursday.
