Wizards React Quotes From Detroit to Philly

Two big games for the Washington Wizards....one great, one not so great. Here's what the World Wide Web had to say about both:

Philadelphia 76ers

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Game #80 Blog: Wizards v Sixers on Bullets Forever

YouTube Highlights

"Unselfish offense and gritty defense were key elements to a victory that kept the Wizards (42-38) alone in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, 1 1/2 games ahead of Toronto and two games ahead of Philadelphia. [Ivan Carter, Washington Post]

"The Wizards, who ensured that they can finish no lower than 6th with tonight's win, outscored Philly 31-9 in the fourth. [Ivan Carter, Wizards Insider]

"For most of the game, it was the usual Wiz game. Looked good, looked horrible. But in the 4th quarter, Gilbert Arenas finally emerged. He looked like the Arenas of old and willed the Wizards to victory. [Gregg Kanner, Les Bullez]

"Anyway, that has nothing to do with last night's affair, which exposed all the problems the 76ers have when they can't turn the opposition over and get out and run. They ran Washington off the floor in the first half, but when it became a half-court affair, the Sixers blinked. [David Aldridge, Philly Inquirer]

"They also had no fastbreak points in the final period against Washington. The Sixers got in the bad habit of settling for jump shots. It appears as if the Sixers will see more and more zone defenses, especially if they play the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs. Against zones, the Sixers still appear indecisive. And obviously the book on the Sixers is to make them beat you from the perimeter. [Marc Narducci, Deep Sixer]

"One night after the Washington Capitals mounted a furious comeback in the final period to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in game one of their first round playoff series, the Washington Bullets mounted a furious comeback in the final period to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-93 and put themselves in the driver’s seat to take the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. [Spence, DC Pro Sports Report]

"There is almost nothing better than heckling the opposing team, heckling their fans, booing everybody with anything Penn State on it and winning a game by double digits. [0>23, Wizards Extreme]

"Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan was asked after the game whether such an effort was the kind Jordan would want from the three-time all-star in a "perfect world." "That and my wife not arguing with me," Jordan cracked. "That would be a perfect world." [Washington Post]

"Iguodala played 44 minutes despite being a game-time decision because of a bruised left shin he suffered in the first quarter of Friday's 85-76 home loss to the Pacers. He had a team-high 22 points, seven assists, six rebounds and three steals. [PhillyBurbs.com]

"Antonio Daniels on "Playoff Atmosphere": "When I first came in the league," the Wizards' Antonio Daniels said, "I was like, how much can it change? How much can it really change? But when you walk into the arena, it's a totally different feeling. It doesn't feel like any of the other 90 games [including the preseason] that you've played in that season." [Philly Inquirer]

Detroit Pistons

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Game #79 Blog: Wizards @ Pistons

""We didn't meet them on a physical level," Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan said. "They just pounded us and we didn't have an answer. Their switching defense, their length and their physical play just really took us out of our offense." [Ivan Carter, Washington Post]

"Max had a monster night! Jason scored a career high 28 points in 28 minutes. If that wasn’t efficient enough he did it on 11-for-13 shooting. And don’t think he got all his buckets off rim annihilating dunks either, he was stroking shots from everywhere inside the arc with lobs and putbacks thrown in for good measure. [Pistons Nation]

"Rasheed Wallace loves him some Jason Maxiell. [Need 4 Sheed]

""I've never seen him play better," Wizards forward Brendan Haywood said. "He was hitting step-back jumpers, one-dribble pull-ups -- I didn't even know he had that in his game." [Detroit Free Press]

"And with the starters getting ample rest, the result is bringing out the best of the reserves. The starters do just that, get things started, and the Piston pine keep things cooking. With both the Cavaliers and Sixers losing Friday night, the Washington Wizards blew an opportunity to better position themselves in the East as they were blown out by Detroit 102-74. [Mike Miller, Pistons Palace]

"Blatche is now officially a goon by the way. Another game where he attempts a flatfooted push shot at the rim and gets his **** thrown. Also, his 1930's scoop shot didnt make him look to bright. [Livestrong_Wiz, Wizards Extreme]

Game 47 Preview: Washington Wizards @ Philadelphia 76ers

"Super", it's Tuesday.

The Wizards need this win tonight....but you already knew that.

The next 6:
@ Philly
vs. Spurs
@ Denver
@ Phoenix
@ Golden State
@ LA Clippers

Ivan Carter on Wizards Insider wonders what the fan prediction will be for these six.

I would be very happy with 3-3. After more consideration, even going .500 seems to be a little auspicious.

The Nuggets, Suns and Warriors are all very hot right now.....a combined 22-8 in the last 10 games for each team. The 76ers, Spurs and Clippers are a combined 13-17 in the last 10.

The Spurs are still the Spurs, the World Champs. And unfortunately, the game against the Clips, the team among those 6 with the worst record right now, comes at the tail end of the west-coast voyage.

But it all starts with tonight's game in the city of cracked bells and brothers loving brothers from another. Considering that the Wizards have only won 2 out of the last 7, and factoring in the road ahead, the Washington Wizards need to cut with a double-edged sword tonight. They need to exercise the past demons of inefficient offense and get on a spring board for the next five.

There's a lot of talk of the Wizards getting back to "staying together" in this article from the Washington Post.

Caron Butler is still limited in practice.

So tonight, here's what I'm looking for:

• Looking for the Wizards to come out hot.....of course a W is the goal, but if Caron Butler is able to rest, that's huge bonus.
• Looking for Nick Young to contribute. Burrito missed an open 3 at the last second when the Wizards were down 1 in the last game vs. Philly.
• Looking for Antonio Daniels to "manage" the team. 18 Wiz turnovers to 8 for the 76ers in the Nov. 30th, 85-84 loss.
• Looking for the Wizards to go inside and get to the FT line, the 76ers shot 12 more FTs that game.

Obviously, the Wizards are looking to take care of all these goals in every game. But that's why that last loss to Philly in game 16 is a quintessential example, a lesson in what's important.

Hopefully, things will go as they did against the Sixers in game 10, a blowout loss on November 20th, 116-101 (Philly cut a 30 point deficit at the end of the 3rd to 15 by the last buzzer).

The Live Blog will be on Bullets Forever tonight. Here's the direct link to the Wizards @ 76ers blog.

Game 16 Blog: Washington Wizards @ Philadelphia 76ers

Great article in today's Washington Post, Wizards Expecting a Better Fight, by Ivan Carter.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a proud history and can usually be counted on to put up a fight, even when times are tough. But that wasn't the case during a 116-101 loss to the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center on Nov. 20.

The Wizards led by 37 points, shot a season-high 57.3 percent and embarrassed the 76ers by scoring with an ease that is uncommon at any level of competitive basketball, let alone the NBA.

For that reason, Wizards forward Caron Butler said he is looking past the 76ers' 4-10 record and expecting to see a highly motivated opponent when the teams meet again Friday night at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center.

As a fan, this is exactly what you want to hear. Now it would be absurd to think that NBA teams, players and coaches alike, don't realize that on any given night.......but hey, it still happens. Teams look past, or underestimate an inferior opponent all the time. And not to say that the 76ers should be considered an inferior opponent, especially with Gilbert Arenas out. Every professional has some level of pride. But to me, you know that players usually think what's written in Ivan's article, but seems like it doesn't always come out in the media. Just cause the words are in print and online, gives them extra meaning. They give the players, such as Tuff Juice the leader, extra motivation to back up those words. We will see.

Now let's start the show....

1st Quarter

Philly comes out with a little full court pressure to start. Not sure I like this.

8:15 - Nice ball movement by the Wizards leads to a DeShawn Stevenson layup. They swing the ball from one side to another, get the Philly D moving, drive a gap, and eventually, it's cake.

6:35 - Backdoor lob pass from Andre Miller to Andre Igoudala (A.I. 2) for a dunk. Phil Chenier saw it coming, I saw it coming...the Wizards just need to talk on the back picks and be aware of the opponent positioning and movement.

6:13 - Antonio Daniels turns it over on the other end. Timeout. 12-7 Sixers.

It's one thing to talk like you're ready, but the Wiz need some energy to produce and back that talk up.

And actually, on the replay of the lob dunk coming out of the commercial...Caron Butler thought A.I. 2 was going to curl over the top of the pick, so he cheated, but A.I. 2 went back door. Caron was never touched by a pick. Nice setup by Igoudala....just bad positioning by Caron.

4:59 - Samuel Dalembert is bothering Brendan Todd Haywood (BTH) tonight.....blocked his shot earlier and just caused BTH to airball a hookshot. Haywood is trying to finesse around the basket...Dalembert doesn't seem that strong.....BTH needs to use that muscle or else I'm going to call him Brenda again. (A double check of the profiles and Haywood has an inch and about 13 pounds on a wiry Dalembert; I know, not exactly indicative of strength).

2:56 - Timeout Wizards. 21-10 Sixers. The Wiz keep missing early shots on offense and the Sixers are just driving the ball down their throats. I can't figure out why someone isn't stopping the ball in transition - it just has been too easy for Philly. Hopefully, the Wizards will adjust coming out of the timeout.

2:07 - Louis "Sweet Lou" Williams checks in. He's a fan fav in Philly already, looked nice in the last game...scored 25 points on 10-13 shooting, making all 4 of this 3-point attempts. And Kyle Korver hits a try, Philly up 23-12.

Phil Chenier just pointed out that the 76ers are doing a good job of shading Caron, something San Antonio did well. You're telling me that an adjustment wasn't made in the offense from last game? They do realize that people are going to start focusing on Tuff Juice right? It's almost like teams will say, Antawn Jamison can beat us, but T-Juice? Nope. Not gon' doit.

No hustle for the Wiz, they are leaking out like an AAU team before securing defensive rebounds.

The 1st quarter ends, and the damage could be worse. The Wizards finished on an 8-2 run, including a Dee-Shawn layup, a Nick Young jumper, an open lane layup by Caron and a Jamison 3. Down to the Philadelphia 76ers 25-20.

2nd Quarter

11:30 - Andray Blatche watches Kyle Korver get an offensive rebound right in front of him. Luckily, Jamison snatches it away before Korver can come down with it.

11:00 - Next time down the court, Blatche fails to put a body on somebody on the offensive rebound again. The Sixers are able to tip it, but more luck, Darius Songaila gets it. C'mon AB, fundamentals son!

7:07 - Back and forth game...the 76ers keep forcing the Wizards to play catch-up. Philly up 1, 31-30. Washington is sloppy, careless, and cannot handle the full court pressure from the 76ers. It's the little things that are killing them.

6:00 - AD fouls Reggie Evans keeping him from getting an easy dunk...but that's AD's 3rd foul. It's pretty concerning that the Wizards do not have a serviceable backup point guard. I know people have crunched the numbers, but are you really telling me that there is no one, big or small, out there that Ern Grunfeld could sign?

I'm just not comfortable with PG by committee situation they have now.

4:35 - Reggie Evans offensive bound and putback...just too many turnovers for the Wiz and too many offensive rebounds for the Sixers. Philly up 37-32.

2:03 - Haywood's 3rd block of the game (on an Andre Miller layup attempt) leads to a fast break and alley-oop from DeShawn Stevenson to Nick Young for the dunk. Phil Chenier points out that the Wizards usually don't throw too many oops for dunks. Well, that's because they don't really have any leapers. Welcome to the show Nick Young.

See guys? D leads to O and efficient O leads to better chances on D. It's an easy game.

0:30 - More sloppy play by the Wiz...Stevenson passes to a cutting Blatche, who tries to make the extra pass...not there, turnover.

0:19 - The next time down...Nick Young offensive foul...questionable call though. Regardless, 8 turnovers in the 2nd quarter for the Wizards. Frustration is setting in.

The half closes out with an A.I. 2 miss, DC up 43-42.

3rd Quarter

9:55 - Haywood gets his 5th block of the game and the fast break starts with AD, drop off to Caron... (seemed a little early to get it to him)... nevertheless, Tuff Juice gets a dunk.

Wiz are being more aggressive to start...trying to be the first team to assert themselves on the offensive boards.

8:50 - The Wizards get 3 offensive rebounds on 1 possession (Jamison - Jamison - Haywood), but then, DeShawn Stevenson turns the ball over.

7:01 - Basket for AJ, his second in a row - 16 points for him. Wiz are starting the heat up on O. They probably will see the pressure again from the Sixers soon, seemed to work earlier. DC up 5, 55-50.

4:20 - Nick Young knocks down a 3, his 3rd make in a row (11 points). Wiz by 4, 62-58. I'm starting to come around on this kid...and actually, I already have. But maybe Hollinger kept my expectations low in the first place.

Stat...Nick Young is leading all rookies in FTs made per 48 minutes. Man, you can come up with a positive stat for just about anything.

2:46 - Sweet 3 by Butler...he is so confident in that shot right now.
Currently 8th in the league in 3 pt shooting...how bout that?

Although, A.I. 2 has really been making things tough on Caron tonight. Straight Hound Dog.

Reggie Evans is a crazy dude (he just got a tech, not sure what the beef was, but the camera got a good shot of his complaint from the bench)...and he looks like someone, just can't put my finger on it. Maybe an extra Debo from The Wire? Actually, he kind looks like Vin Baker. Can you tell me who is who?

The 3rd ends with the game tied at 68. 15 turnovers for the Wiz is about 10 too much. Sixers only have 5.

4th Quarter

Baker was on the right, Evans on the left by the way.

The Wizards really need to show some more aggression if they want to win this game. They are settling for too many jumpers...not the case in the win against the Mavs...not even the case for the whole game against the Spurs.

9:52 - Nick Young cross step back for the J over Korver...that's 13 points for him. Nice quick move. This kid is becoming a consistent threat on offense.

9:06 - Scrapping for the ball under the Sixers basket...couple blocks by AB, many chances for Philly. But the Wiz just can't get their hand on the ball, or maybe Philly wants it more. Sam Dalembert finally gets the ball and gets fouled, Blatche's 4th, 2 made FTs for Sammy D. Wizards up 1, 74-73.

9:00 - Andray really needs to take care of the ball. Gets his 4th turnover of the game, 17th for the Wiz. The ball gets poked from behind as he tries to drive to the basket...he just can't swing the rock out there like that and think that it won't get deflected by a smaller guard.

In other news, the Wiz have held the Sixers to 0-11 from 3 point land this game.

7:43 - Nice pass from AJ to D-Song...second time that Songaila has found an uncovered spot on the floor for an easy lay-in.

7:01 - Two layups missed on the next time down the court for the Wiz, Songaila and Butler. Korver 2 on the other end, game tied at 76. I wished the Wizards would play like they want it.

5:55 - Caron Butler breakaway layup. Up 2, 78-76.

3:36 - Nick Young checks in for Stevenson who has been having a terrible shooting night. DC down 2, 80-78...Wiz turnover down the court. VALUE THE DAMN BALL.

Lack of pg, lack of PG, LACK OF PG!!

The Washington Wizards simply have no one to keep the team composed on offense and into their offensive sets. If AD ain't doin it, then no one will.

2:54 - A POINT guard, Andre Miller sets up Sam Dalembert for a deuce dunk. Philly up 4, 82-78.

1:35 - Haywood blocks Sammy D for his 6th. Jamison bad shot on the other end....Steve Buckhantz says that the Wiz have not scored a point in the last 4 minutes. "Great"

1:06 - Dalembert hits 2 FTs on the other end, Sixers up 6, 84-78. 8-0 run by Philly in last 5 minutes or so.

1:03 - Out of the timeout...Butler hits a 3! He inbounded to D-Song, received the ball back, no dribble, buckets. Finally, a BIG shot.

What an improvement...that was Caron's 18th 3 of the year, he made 18 all last season.

0:51 - Uh oh , Nick Young is on Sweet Lou Williams...pick...miss. But Dalembert gets the bound, and fouled. He makes 1 of 2 FTs.

0:45 - DeShawn is at the point with the ball, Wizards down 85-81...

Butler knocks down a 3 from the corner! Solid. Tuff Juice squirts right in A.I. 2's face. Down 1.

0:12 - Igoudala misses a layup on the other end, Jamison with the rebound....

Wiz hurry down the court... Butler with the ball on the left wing. He gets caught in the air and kicks it back out top to Stevenson. DeShawn swings it to Nick Young on the right wing. He's wide open for 3, fires with 2 seconds left....misses....CRAP.

I think the Wizards could've gotten a better shot in that last possession. What a shitty game. I'm down cause they had a chance. But I'm pissed cause they had 18 turnovers. Whatever...the Wizards, after all the talk about being ready, didn’t come out ready. These are the games they need to take care of.

Stat Guts

The Wizards out shot the Sixers, 41.8% to 38.8%. The big difference in scoring, Philly shot 12 more FTs than the Wiz, going 19-26. The Wizards went 12-14 from the line.

This is the key indication that the Wizards were not doing what they needed to do in attacking the basket. They shot 16-20 from the FT line against the Spurs, and 27-34 against the Mavericks. If they expect, or want, to win, they need to get to the free throw line more than 14 times.

That and the aforementioned 18 turnovers, compared to Philly's 8, are the glaring reasons as to why the Wizards lost.

Toronto Raptors at home tomorrow. Check yo' self before ya wreck yo' self.

Game 10 Blog: Washington Wizards vs. Philly 76ers Live Game Blog

Well...Gilbert Arenas is out again tonight. I was somewhat surprised to hear the news, and initially, thoughts of increased concern entered my mind. Then, Phil Chenier was asked his thoughts. Essentially Phil said that Gil is coming off his first surgery, and he still is getting used to this concept. Arenas has some physical and mental hills to overcome. So, if sitting out two nights in a row is happening now, just consider it part of the process. If Gilbert is having these same issues in January/February, then let's start to worry. Thank you Phil for balancing this out.

Now another thought on this.....obviously, we are looking for others to step up here. And actually, we were really looking for the players to step up starting with game 1. Now, hands are a little bit forced....a slight squeeze can be felt. Eddie Jordan gets to find out who on the Wizards will squeeze back. If this team expects to make any noise at the end of the year, we sit through these growing pains now.

1st Quarter

8:27 - Brendan Haywood picks up his second foul. You know that squeeze? It can happen game to game also. Eddie leaves him in.

7:50 - Four Wizards stand around as Andre Miller misses a lay-up on an unexpected fast break (Caron got blocked on his own fast-break layup attempt on the other end). Miller then gets his own rebound and puts it back in...Haywood pretty much let him go cause he didn't want to pick up a cheap 3rd foul. 9-4 Philly

Eddie doesn't wait too long, gets Blatche in the game for Brendan. The Wizards have shown some game slippage on defense so far...not protecting the basket and giving up some second chance points to the 76ers.

Antawn starts off 1-5 and Caron has to go to the locker room after catching a bow to the nose.

5:27 - Very smooth righty baseline hook by Blatche. Yes, a smaller Andre Miller was on him, and he was about 6-7 feet away when he shot it....but it was a smartshot because he took advantage of the mismatch while staying in a spot on the floor where the Sixers could not double without paying the price.

3:53 - Blatche helps with back-court pressure from the Sixers, gets the ball, and takes it from about center court right through the lane for a sweet lay-in with the And1. If I played the Takeover by Jay-Z now, would Andray hear it? 15-12 Sixers.

2:53 - Andray is on fire...(yes, Takeover is still playing)...baseline J. Work that area of the court young fella.

2:09 - Blatche with a nice up and under move to create separation....gets himself behind the basket, but finds Jamison for a wide-open lay in. Damn, kid can pass like that? Wiz down 2.

Butler is back in the game...had a scratch on his nose. Don't make Tuff Juice bloody, he'll just make ya bloody back.

:52 - Nick Young jumper...you've officially broken your NBA cherry, not when you score over 15 for the first time, but when you come to play the very next game. Lotta time left. The quarter closes out with the Wizards down 2, 26-24.

At the very end of the quarter, Antonio Daniels took a hard shot from Reggie Evans...a little bit of a dirty play. Evans was going to set a pick and moved his hip right into AD's chest. Coming from anyone else, it's just a moving screen. Coming from Reggie Nut-Cracker Evans, it's a dirty play. AD seems to really be hurting. Damn, and I was just on the Bullets Forever pre-game post commenting that I hope Evans wouldn't "maim" any of the Wizards. Reggie Evans is good at 3 things: Horse Play, Rebounds and Ass Play. He's already done two tonight...hope he doesn't do to Andray what he did to Chris Kaman.

2nd Quarter

9:58 - Dunk by Blatche....he's made all 6 of his shots now. Should I pick him up on my fantasy league team, pronto?

8:42 - Eddie takes Blatche out...Phil wonders out loud about taking a hot player out. Haywood comes in, along with Songaila, Caron, DeShawn and Nick Young. Thing is...Haywood needs to be back in because you gotta keep him in the flow of the game. And Songaila hasn't been on the floor that long, can't take him out. With the 76ers game personnel, our guards had to stay in. And well...as Phil puts it, perhaps Andray just needs a blow.

6:26 - 41-34 Wizards, Sixers timeout - the Wiz are playing with a lot more energy....17-8 run to start the second. You really have to credit Nick Young and Andray Blatche with creating the spark for the rest of the team.

AD is back in the game for Young. Say what you want to say about the guy, he is never afraid to put his body on the line.

4:17 - DeShawn with a double clutch lay-in... And1 - Wizards up 46-40. The past couple games, in these Wizards wins, Stevenson has been....what's the word?...."selective"...ahh, thank you again Phil Chenier. I mentioned it in the second Wizards live blog of the year, the Celtics game, and I'll say it once more: I love the Wizards TV guys....perfect combo of team knowledge, much less NBA knowledge, along with the game calling intensity provided by Steve Buckhantz.

2:14 - Timeout on the floor, the Wizards are up 7...might I say, that this team seems to be playing with a little Swagger?

2:04 - Nice jam by DeShawn....set up by Andray's pass.

1:25 - Three by DeeShawn!

1:06 - Another 3 by Stevenson! 57-42, You think he caught the Black Snake Moan photoshop?

:12 - Ouch. Out-under monstrous lob to Sam Dalembert.

:00 - Antonio Daniels drives...kicks to Blatche in the corner for the THREE at the buzzer!! Wizards up 60-44.

Lovin' it Wizards. What a half! Chew on these stats:

Andray Blatche: 16 points (7-8 shooting), 3 assists, 4 rebounds
DeShawn Stevenson: 10 points, 5 rebounds
Bench Scoring: 26 points
Wizards: 58% FG; 76ers: 45%
Wizards: ZERO Turnovers.

I almost dare say that Antonio Daniels should start in Stevenson's place when GA comes back. He's a competent game manager...not only does he take care of the ball himself, but he is actually effective in limiting the turnovers, or bad possessions for the whole team. Problem is, between Gil and AD, who exactly is going to start off guarding the opposing 2 guard? We love AD's energy off the bench, but something has got to be said about him coming in while Gilbert has sat out and setting the tone.

3rd Quarter

Steve Buckhantz can't keep talking about this 'holding opponents under 90 points or less' thing: ...only 5 games all last year did the Wizards hold the other team to less than 90....it's happened 5 out of 9 times this so far year. And you know what? I can't blame him.

9:44 - Dee-Shawn J...please tell me this is his coming out party for this season. Ernie gave you the loot, now the team really needs you to step up.

8:46 - AJ jumper...he started out 1-5, he's now 5-12 from the field.

8:12 - Yet another 3 for Dee-Shawn Stevenson. If the Takeover is being played for Blatche, what should Dee-Shawn's song be? You know....I think "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette would be appropriate....."It's like raaaain....." (I know, you thought I was going to choose some wack rapper like Gucci Mane or Hurricane Chris)

Wait, Steve Buckhantz just said that Arenas is still donating $500 tonight for the Scoring for Schools program. $500? That's it? That's only a 5 point game GA. Shouldn't you at least give your average?

6:57 - Another 3 by Stevenson....and we just got the first "Are you kidding me? " from Steve Buck.

6:28 - Stevenson pops a heat-check 3 miss.....holy crap, Haywood is here too? - an offensive rebound and put back for BTH.

Jamison three, now this getting silly. The Wizards are up 80-51. I can't even keep up with the typing. They are almost taking the crowd out of the game. I can't hear anyone.....are they too shocked to cheer? Do we need to go to Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Room to make sure he hasn't passed out? Timeout Sixers.

The Wizards are shooting 62% for the game so far.

Uh oh, Haywood is going back to the locker room with 4 minutes left in the quarter.

Yes, the Wizards are coming out of a shooting slump...but there are reasons for this beyond just happening to be hot - They are passing the ball, 20 assists so far, and they've been active for the entire 94 feet....giving them more chances on offense.

1:15 - A turnover by the Wizards, the yungins, after some Sixers pressure. C'mon, use this opportunity to learn.

Louis Williams has been impressive tonight. He might be a fantasy sleeper too, I've been keeping an eye on his playing time.

:03 - Speaking of...."Sweet" Lou Williams for 3 - 18 points for the game, 13 in the 3rd.

Wizards up 98-68...had some chances to break a hundo after 3.

4th Quarter

10:46 - Blatche pump fake, spin, and reverse lay-in. It's what people refer to as a "Pro Move."

10:27 - Nick Young "Sprites" an alley-oop attempt, but the energy of Andray is there for the put-back.

Haywood is out for the rest of the game...a sprained ankle. The fact that he was able to walk to the locker room means that he should be okay, just a precaution. The Wizards are up 30 points.

7:51 - Wizards get lazy and a pass I believe by Nick Young, gets deflected out of bounds by the 76ers. You can clearly see, and hear, AJ go up to Young and say, "C'mon Man!!" - good to see Antawn being vocal with the kids.

You know what's funny....the same cats on Wizards Insider who were so negative at the beginning of the season, especially in regard to Eddie Jordan, are probably riding high now....saying that they believed this whole time. You hear this said to players all the time, maybe fans should listen up also: 'You can't get too high or too low with wins and losses until it's all said and done.'

Even though it's a blowout, both teams are still playing hard. A lotta young guns in a fight for playing time on both ends.

3:20 - Wizards 110-90, Sixers have been on an 18-8 run. The Wiz need their young guys to finish this game without trying to "get theirs."

They sure aren't handling the pressure well with a steal and dunk by Philly.

2:03 - Nice push pass by D-Mac to D-Song for an easy lay-in. McGuire has taken advantage of his time in the game.

1:11 - Rodney Carney with a pretty scoop lay-in after he rebounds his own miss. I remember him being a beast in that college dunk contest. Let's see if we can't check out some of his highlights, here is Carney's college senior highlight video from Memphis.

The game closes out...unfortunately, the 30 point lead was cut to 15 as the Wizards won 116-101. And that's the only negative thing I'll say. A great all-around game from everyone...coaches and players.

If you want the stats, check the box score. I'm going to sit back and enjoy this one.

I'll be out of town for the next two games (at Charlotte tomorrow and at home vs. Golden State on Friday), gotta take care of some family biz. But I'll try to have some guest bloggers for the games, and who knows maybe I can find a TV where I'm going.