Washington suffers heartbreak loss in Atlanta

November 19, 9:55 PMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

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Stevenson (left) kept Washington in flight, but the
Wizards could not hold on against the Hawks
(AP Photo/John Amis)

The Atlanta Hawks went on an 8-0 run in the last minute of the game tonight to upset the visiting Washington Wizards with a 91-87 loss.

I might need to check my fan-bias at the door, but for a second straight night, the referees failed to make a game-altering call down the stretch.  This time it was the case of the Hawks holding Antawn Jamison to prevent him from rebounding.

However, Washington's loss tonight was decided by much more than the last 47 seconds of the fourth.  The Hawks out-rebounded the Wizards 58-40, got more second-chance points as a result, and Mike Bibby, the little point guard that could, scored 15 big points in the third quarter.  How long before you play a man tight? 

Wizards Head Coach Eddie Jordan did a few things I liked tonight, such as starting Dee Brown and JaVale McGee, but McGee did not receive enough minutes down the wire for my liking.  Blatche played instead, and played well, but Nick Young traveling calls plagued Washington once more during critical stretches.  Not as bad as yesterday's game against Miami, but give me a break, Young.  A great scorer, but not the guy you want leading at point right now.

Dee Brown's start was not particularly outrageous, but he did pick up three assists.  The story of the night was Caron Butler, who finished with 32 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.  Right behind Butler was DeShawn Stevenson, who had his most solid game of the season.

Stevenson scored the last four points of the game for the Wizards, making it 87-83 with just a buck o' five to go in the game, setting Washington up for their second win of the season.  Caron had his straw out, and Washington looked pumped, but a Joe Johnson three point and Washington 24-second violation later, and suddenly the Hawks were on top.

I'm not really sure what to say about the 1-8 Washington Wizards at this point.  I like what Coach Jordan is doing, rotating the players, and I like the team chemistry.  With about 3:42 to go in the third, injured reserve Gilbert Arenas had a few words with Young after a costly turnover.  Coach Arenas is going to need to have more than a few words with Young after his 8 turnovers in the last two games, which haven't helped the Wizards maintain balance in the second half.

One thing I would like to see is Etan Thomas and JaVale McGee play together.  Coach Jordan played Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov, and Andray Blatche off the bench as his first substitution of the game, with varying results.  As the Wizards lost the first quarter by two points, I'm thinking it wasn't the best lineup.  I'm sure it is a dizzying affair trying to mix and match.

Bibby finished the game with 25 points and 6 rebounds, but the story of the night for the Hawks was Marvin Williams, who played 45 minutes of the 48 minute regulation picking up 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Hawks center, Zaza Pachulia, wound up with 18 rebounds on the night.  Washington is going to have to figure out their problems inside if they will have any hopes of improving their defense against second-chance scoring opportunities.