Washington
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
So far this season, the Wizards have on average been slightly outrebounded by their opponents. Yet in their last five games, including their four-game road trip, they have dominated the boards, outrebounding their opponents by an average of three boards per game. Have they finally turned the rebounding corner?
Over the last five games, Washington's rebounding average of 45.6 boards per game is fifth-best in the league, just behind Minnesota. For the entire season, Washington's rebounding average of 44.7 boards per game is third-best in the league, just ahead of Minnesota. So facing Minnesota on Sunday will be a good test of their rebounding strength.
Will they be able to contain Kevin Garnett, the league's leading rebounder? Probably not. Rebounding is, as it should be, a total team effort by the Wizards. Though they are among the top rebounding teams, they do not have a single representative among the top 15 rebounders in the league. Antawn Jamison is 17th in the league with 9.0 rebounds per game and Brendan Haywood is 30th with 7.8.
When Etan Thomas comes back, that should only further help the rebounding cause.
NEXT GAME
The Wizards (14-10, second in the Southeast) have the next three days off before they finish their five-game, nine-day road trip with a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-9, second in the Northwest) on Sunday, December 26th. The game starts at 8:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on NC8 and NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
Thomas, Ramos Contribute to Carribean Relief Fund: Wizards duo join eight other NBA players who have donated more than $100,000 to UNICEF for hurricane relief efforts.
INJURY UPDATE
Steve Blake(foot),Peter John Ramos(knee), andEtan Thomas (abdominal) are all on the injured list. Blake may be activated for this weekend.
Michael Lee ofThe Washington Postwrites: Before each of the Washington Wizards' last two games of a four-game West Coast trip, guard Larry Hughes had asked a team trainer for allergy medication. "I hate it out here," Hughes said before he popped a pill in the locker room. "I always get sick."The Wizards usually feel ill when they are on this coast, but it often is the result of much more than sinus trouble. They had won a total of five road games against Western Conference teams in the previous two seasons, going 2-13 last season.
John "Johnny Detroit" Lepak ofThe Ring Side Reportwrites: As for the timing of the Lewis fight, that's like saying one of Michael Jordan's biggest games of his career was when he was playing with the Washington Wizards and faced Allen Iverson.Give me a break!
The Associated Press writes inTSN.ca: Former Washington Senators announcer Charlie Brotman joined the celebration outside the council chambers after the vote.He said families are the biggest winners because they can't afford tickets to Redskins or Wizards games.''I was so pleased baseball's going to have $7 bleacher seats,'' Brotman said. ''I spent my entire youth in the bleachers - that was for 55 cents though.''