Washington

Wizards Play Like Kings


Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services 

The Washington Wizards are now second in the league in scoring, averaging 102.91 points per game, and one of only three teams in triple-digits. They trail only the red-hot Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, they trail nobody when it comes to giving up points. The Wizards allow a league-high 102.75 points per game. The funny thing is the team just behind them on both rankings is essentially their model team: Sacramento.

The Kings also give up 101.92 points per game while scoring 101. And the Kings have just one more win, having played one more game, than the Wizards. At 8-5 the Kings are second in the Pacific Division. At 7-5 the Wizards are third in the Southeast.

Head coach Eddie Jordan is a fan of fast breaks, passing lane defense, and a Sacramento/Princeton-style offense. Mission accomplished?

The irony doesn't nearly end there, however. Remember last year. The Kings were the surprise of the season with their excellent performance despite the absence of their star power forward Chris Webber for much of the season. Well, guess who's missing a power forward now. And guess who might end up being the surprise of the season.

Kwame Brown is still on the injured list while recovering from foot surgery but we'll start hearing progress reports in the next few weeks on an expected time of return. It will be interesting to see how he meshes into the Wizards game, and how quickly.

NEXT GAME
The 7-5 Wizards host Head Coach Eddie Jordan's former employer, the 2-11 Nets, tomorrow, Wednesday, November 31st, at 7:00pm. The game will be broadcast on the YES Network, the Comcast Sports Network, and NBA League Pass, and can be head on the radio on WWRC 1260 AM. Tickets are still available at the MCI Center and if you bring your college ID, you can get a $10 ticket.

TEAM NOTES
Brendan Haywood is just 43 minutes away from logging 5,000 career minutes.

INJURY UPDATE
Kwame Brown(foot surgery),Etan Thomas(abdominal injury), andLaron Profit(left knee tendinitis) are on the injured list. Brown and Thomas are not expected back until December.

NEWSLINES

Michael Lee ofThe Washington Post writes: When Washington Wizards guard Larry Hughes was driving the baseline for a two-handed dunk in traffic, swooping under the basket for a gravity-defying reverse layup and hurling himself toward the rim to get fouled on Sunday, he said he didn't realize his team was trailing in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors. "I didn't even know," said Hughes, whose 21-point fourth quarter points helped lift the Wizards to a 114-109 overtime victory. "I was just playing the game."

John N. Mitchell ofThe Washington Timeswrites: Haywood, the Washington Wizards' starting center, didn't like being pulled from games in the fourth quarter during the 2003-04 season, a clear sign coaches don't think a player can be a factor in the deciding moments.Haywood took that message to heart last summer. He now not only has a five-year, $25 million contract that kicks in after the season, but he seemingly has won the confidence of the Wizards' staff that his presence on the court late in games is integral to the team's success. The newfound faith in Haywood was apparent Sunday in the Wizards' 114-109 overtime win against Toronto. Only Jamison and Larry Hughes — who posted the first triple-double of his career — played more for Washington than Haywood, who was on the court for 45 of a possible 53 minutes. It's hard to pull a guy when he's dominating on the inside. Haywood had his second consecutive double-double with a season-high 22 points and 10 rebounds.