jbooma
November-26th-2003, 10:23 AM
Without Arenas and Stackhouse they beat Portland in Portland. Kwame again with 10 points 5 rebs, I think this is the third game in a row he has been in double digits in points. Hughes once again was clutch and got the game winner :) we are now 6-8 and only 1/2 game behind philly for the pathetic east lead. There was a Brevin Knight siting, not to bad for his first action.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14253-2003Nov25.html
Without Arenas, Wizards Triumph
Guard Has Severe Abdominal Strain: Wizards 81, Trail Blazers 80
By Steve Wyche
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 26, 2003; Page D01
PORTLAND, Ore. Nov. 25 -- The Washington Wizards placed Gilbert Arenas, their leading scorer and assist man, on the injured list before Tuesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Coach Eddie Jordan knew his young team could see the move two ways -- either as an excuse to continue a West Coast trip with another loss, or as a rallying point.
The Wizards -- especially guard Larry Hughes -- seized upon the second option. Hughes hit a driving layup with 10 seconds left and the Wizards held on for an 81-80 win before a booing Rose Garden crowd. And when the final horn sounded, it was Arenas handing out the highest of fives.
"Our bench played a great game, we all played a great game," Jordan said.
"Guys came unified. They knew their backs were against the wall not having Gilbert. They just believed in themselves. It was a beautiful thing to see."
Down one with 15 seconds left, Hughes took (22 points) an inbounds pass near the top of the key. The rangy guard then got past Ruben Patterson, drove to the basket and lofted a floating shot over the charging Rasheed Wallace. On the other end, Portland's Jeff McInnis, who scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, missed a short bank shot, allowing Washington to snap a two-game losing streak and stop Portland's six-game home winning streak.
The bad news for the Wizards came earlier in the day, when the placed Arenas (20.8 points, 5.1 assists) on the IL with a severe lower abdominal strain following test results after Sunday's loss in Seattle.
No timetable was given as to how long Arenas will be out but by not filling his vacated spot on the active roster, the Wizards have left open the possibility that Arenas could be back before the standard five-game minimum typically associated with placing the player on the IL.
"This gets the clock ticking," president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said. "We'll have a better feel for his situation once our doctors have a chance to look at him over the weekend."
Grunfeld said the Wizards are not contemplating signing a free agent or making a trade.
In his absence, Hughes was just one of many to step up. Backup point guard Brevin Knight, who saw his first playing time since being acquired from Phoenix in a trade for Jahidi White Nov. 5, catapulted the Wizards to their first victory in three games on this four-game, Western Conference road trip that ends Wednesday at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Knight dished out three assists, grabbed three rebounds and scored four points and had three steals in the Wizards' early-fourth quarter push that gave them the confidence to fight back from a 78-74 hole with less than four minutes to go.
"I like to get out there and change the game, create a spark and lead a team to a win," Knight said. "This is what I love to do. I'm glad coach had enough confidence in me to get it done and leave me out on the court."
The Wizards had just three players score in double figures with center Etan Thomas overcoming a slow start to score 12 points and grab four rebounds and forward Kwame Brown add 10 points and five rebounds. Christian Laettner, who started in place of Jarvis Hayes, had six points and a team-high six rebounds but it was Hayes (six points) that Jordan leaned on down the stretch.
The rookie forward has struggled of late, but he converted a three-point play with just less than two minutes left that brought Washington to 78-77.
Chris Whitney started in place of Arenas and had eight points and three assists.
As for Arenas, his status remains iffy.
"[The injury] hurts in different movements," said Arenas, who signed a six-year, $64 million free agent contract with Washington last summer. "Like I can go up and down and not feel anything. It hurts in spots, where I guess my abs contract."
Arenas, dressed in sweats and sporting a cold-weather, outdoor headband, said before the game that he felt better than he did Monday and if the team needed him to play against Portland, he'd be able to shoot, "spot-up threes." then projected that the longest he would be out, "At the max, the max is two weeks."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14253-2003Nov25.html
Without Arenas, Wizards Triumph
Guard Has Severe Abdominal Strain: Wizards 81, Trail Blazers 80
By Steve Wyche
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 26, 2003; Page D01
PORTLAND, Ore. Nov. 25 -- The Washington Wizards placed Gilbert Arenas, their leading scorer and assist man, on the injured list before Tuesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Coach Eddie Jordan knew his young team could see the move two ways -- either as an excuse to continue a West Coast trip with another loss, or as a rallying point.
The Wizards -- especially guard Larry Hughes -- seized upon the second option. Hughes hit a driving layup with 10 seconds left and the Wizards held on for an 81-80 win before a booing Rose Garden crowd. And when the final horn sounded, it was Arenas handing out the highest of fives.
"Our bench played a great game, we all played a great game," Jordan said.
"Guys came unified. They knew their backs were against the wall not having Gilbert. They just believed in themselves. It was a beautiful thing to see."
Down one with 15 seconds left, Hughes took (22 points) an inbounds pass near the top of the key. The rangy guard then got past Ruben Patterson, drove to the basket and lofted a floating shot over the charging Rasheed Wallace. On the other end, Portland's Jeff McInnis, who scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, missed a short bank shot, allowing Washington to snap a two-game losing streak and stop Portland's six-game home winning streak.
The bad news for the Wizards came earlier in the day, when the placed Arenas (20.8 points, 5.1 assists) on the IL with a severe lower abdominal strain following test results after Sunday's loss in Seattle.
No timetable was given as to how long Arenas will be out but by not filling his vacated spot on the active roster, the Wizards have left open the possibility that Arenas could be back before the standard five-game minimum typically associated with placing the player on the IL.
"This gets the clock ticking," president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld said. "We'll have a better feel for his situation once our doctors have a chance to look at him over the weekend."
Grunfeld said the Wizards are not contemplating signing a free agent or making a trade.
In his absence, Hughes was just one of many to step up. Backup point guard Brevin Knight, who saw his first playing time since being acquired from Phoenix in a trade for Jahidi White Nov. 5, catapulted the Wizards to their first victory in three games on this four-game, Western Conference road trip that ends Wednesday at the Los Angeles Lakers.
Knight dished out three assists, grabbed three rebounds and scored four points and had three steals in the Wizards' early-fourth quarter push that gave them the confidence to fight back from a 78-74 hole with less than four minutes to go.
"I like to get out there and change the game, create a spark and lead a team to a win," Knight said. "This is what I love to do. I'm glad coach had enough confidence in me to get it done and leave me out on the court."
The Wizards had just three players score in double figures with center Etan Thomas overcoming a slow start to score 12 points and grab four rebounds and forward Kwame Brown add 10 points and five rebounds. Christian Laettner, who started in place of Jarvis Hayes, had six points and a team-high six rebounds but it was Hayes (six points) that Jordan leaned on down the stretch.
The rookie forward has struggled of late, but he converted a three-point play with just less than two minutes left that brought Washington to 78-77.
Chris Whitney started in place of Arenas and had eight points and three assists.
As for Arenas, his status remains iffy.
"[The injury] hurts in different movements," said Arenas, who signed a six-year, $64 million free agent contract with Washington last summer. "Like I can go up and down and not feel anything. It hurts in spots, where I guess my abs contract."
Arenas, dressed in sweats and sporting a cold-weather, outdoor headband, said before the game that he felt better than he did Monday and if the team needed him to play against Portland, he'd be able to shoot, "spot-up threes." then projected that the longest he would be out, "At the max, the max is two weeks."