Washington will look ahead tonight after a shaky 2-6 start as Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller are expected to return for a homecourt battle against the 4-4 Detroit Pistons. Veteran guard Earl Boykins is also expected to play tonight for the Wizards, while Gilbert Arenas and Randy Foye are less certain.
Arenas was probable last Tuesday due to a left calf strain yet played over 40 minutes in a loss to the Miami Heat. Foye twisted his ankle during the second quarter of that Heat loss and never came back to play. He should be back as early as Wednesday. Expect a starting line-up of Brendan Haywood, Andray Blatche, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, and Arenas at point guard tonight.
The Pistons will likely be without former Wizard Rip Hamilton, who, like Foye, is out with a sprained ankle. Tayshaun Prince continues to sit out for Detroit, due to a ruptured disc in his back, which limits the Pistons offense. If Hamilton is out, Washington might benefit from double teaming Ben Gordon, who leads the Pistons with 23.8 points per game this season. Washington will also need to stop back-up guard Will Bynum, whose offensive production off the bench has hurt opposing teams.
Other than Hamilton, Detroit will bring a couple other familiar faces to Washington tonight. The ongoing project center, Kwame Brown, will play behind journeyman Ben Wallace, who ended up bouncing back to Detroit after several years fishing around the league. Both Brown and Wallace were former Wizards.
Wallace, back with the team that gave him most of his NBA accolades (including an NBA Championship ring), is no longer the four time NBA Defensive Player of the Year he once was. However, he still gets it done inside on the boards and is a shot changer on the defensive end. Detroit needs his defense too, because as a team that does not score many points without Prince, the Pistons are currently 26th in the NBA with just over 92 points per game.
The Wizards are currently 24th in the NBA with 93 points per game. Since scoring has been a problem for Washington as of late, tonight's game might very well be determined by their defense. Although, with the probable return of Jamison and Miller, Miller more likely, expect Washington to spread the floor better and find their offensive rhythm again.
Tonight's game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET and will air on Comcast SportsNet and 106.7 The Fan.
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Comments
Wizards fall 106-103 in a tough one. Boykins scores 20 off the bench in his debut as a Wizard. Arenas with 19 points, 10 assists, and only 2 turnovers. Boykins helped Arenas carry the load at point and Washington, down by as many as thirteen in the first half, rallied in the second but fell short down the stretch. More tomorrow.
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