Washington
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Wizards get to play a sandwiched home game tomorrow night at the MCI Center when they host the Toronto Raptors in a sudden and inexplicable break in what would otherwise be a four-game road trip. Perhaps the break will end the two-game slide and start a three-game upswing. But enough with the playground analogies. Larry Hughes is still out. Time to let the depth shine.
Hughes will be out at least until late February. That's at least fifteen games in a stretch that includes a rematch against the Spurs, games against the Pistons and the Pacers, a back-to-back with the Magic, and several other assorted teams. Eight of the games are at home, and that's where the Wizards need to make their stand, with or without Hughes.
Starting tonight as they welcome the rebuilding Raptors. Tomorrow night the Wizards will look to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the year. The time for mourning and grief is over; Hughes is an excellent player and he is going to be missed until he comes back. But that's no reason to lose any more. Insert war-cliche here, and a conditional statement of victory here.
Perhaps the league and the team has forgotten, but there's still plenty of talent on the Wizards.
NEXT GAME
The Wizards (22-15, second in the Southeast division) host the Toronto Raptors (17-23, fourth in the Atlantic) TOMORROW NIGHT, Friday, January 21st, 2005. The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern and will be broadcast on Comcast Sports Net, Raptors TV, NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
Wizards Magazinerecently got together with guard Juan Dixon who has started the last two games in place of the injured Larry Hughes.
INJURY UPDATE
Peter John Ramos(knee),Steve Blake(ankle),Kwame Brown (ankle) are all on the injured list, where there's not even enough room for Larry Hughes(thumb).
Michael Lee ofThe Washington Postwrites: Washington Wizard Antawn Jamison sat in the training room with Larry Hughes Saturday night as Hughes looked down blankly at his broken right thumb."To see his face, and his reaction, that hurt me more than anything," Jamison said. "It was a lot of frustration because we know how much work he's put into being the player that he is."
John N. Mitchell ofThe Washington Timeswrites: One of the ruthless ironies of professional sports is that a player's true value to a team sometimes can best be determined by his absence.Case in point: The Washington Wizards. The two games they have played since Larry Hughes broke his right thumb Saturday have resulted in lopsided defeats.