Not quite Vinsanity, but a season-opener upset in Washington

October 30, 12:23 AMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Washington Wizards Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Carter still has it (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Tonight's game had a tempo that favored the Washington Wizards for most of the first half.  But in the second, New Jersey Nets' fixture Vince Carter proved he still has a few years left.

With 21 points (15 in the second half) and 6 assists, Carter led a balanced Nets attack on the way to a 95-85 final victory.  Yi Jianlian finished with 17 points as a starter, with 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, while rookie reserve Brook Lopez finished with a tasty 8 points-8 rebounds and former Wizard Jarvis Hayes battled through a chorus of boos for 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.

In the first half Antawn Jamison played strong for the Wizards, and picked up 9 points.  DeShawn Stevenson knocked down 8 points and the combination of Andray Blatche and Nick Young kept the Wizards afloat off the bench.  Devin Harris gave Washington trouble on the defensive end, but he is no J Kidd, and Washington was able to create transition buckets from hustle defense.  Etan Thomas was a loaded gun on both sides of the court, but Yi Jianlian countered him well.  The Wizards would end the half 46-44.

Vince Carter scored 9 points in the first 9 minutes of the third quarter, which gave the Nets a 69-67 advantage.  In the fourth quarter, the Wizards took a 71-69 lead, but Nick Young had to head back to the locker room briefly to...pull his pants up (no one is superstitious here, right?).  And after that, the Wizards fell to 71-74, and would not be able to sustain a lead after that point.  With under three minutes left in the fourth, and the score 82-86, an ice-cold Vince Carter nailed a long, hesitation jump shot while seemingly double-teamed, which would seal the game up for the Nets.

Etan Thomas played strong in the first half, but
wasn't asked to close the game tonight
(AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

In the closing minutes of the game, Andray Blatche played center over Etan Thomas or JaVale McGee.  I'm not sure if this choice was the best one to make for Coach Eddie Jordan.  Andray Blatche had a nice game tonight, with 13 points on 6-for-13 shooting and 6 rebounds, but Etan Thomas had 10 points and 8 rebounds in about six less minutes of play.  In other words, I'm curious why Thomas did not play the last six minutes of the game.

Caron Butler led the Wizards tonight with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Nick Young had another great night with 10 points in just over 17 minutes off the bench.  JaVale McGee would see just under 9 minutes tonight, and did not score a point, going 0-for-4 from the floor.  The Wizards will face the Detroit Pistons this Saturday, after facing them earlier this preseason at home.