Washington looks to end ten year drought in San Antonio

November 21, 11:59 AMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

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Butler gets the treatment.  He was the high point man for
Washington last night against OKC, and he also had a season-
high 4 assists. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

On the road again, the Washington Wizards will need to forget about last night's 127-108 rout in Oklahoma and focus on Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. 

Duncan can still put up 20-and-10 games in his thirteenth season, and is averaging 17.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for San Antonio this year.  The 33-year-old future hall of famer is joined by the regulars, Manu "The Bat Stunner" Ginobili and Tony Parker, both whom might be on the injured list tonight,  plus a new set of weapons in Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, and DeJuan Blair.  And since I mentioned Blair, why not mention Roger Mason Jr. as well, two guys Washington could have had on their roster right now in some alternate universe.  But I digress.

Against Oklahoma last night, Washington stayed competitive despite the final boxscore.  In the end, the Thunder had to much firepower and the Wizards could not keep control of the ball.  Kevin Durant dropped 35 points and James Harden chipped in 25 off the bench.  Former Wizard Etan Thomas went 0-for-2, but had a block and the final say with the win.  Brendan Haywood had 14 points and 16 rebounds; he's really killing the boards lately.

Of course, you only get boards if the shots miss.  I might be beating a dead horse here, but Washington needs to improve their perimeter defense.  Haywood could be averaging 16 rebounds a game if the Wiz defended more shots.  Oklahoma shot 52.4% from behind the arc last night and San Antonio is no slouch when it comes to long range shooting either.  Of course, when the Thunder beat the Spurs earlier in the season, neither team shot that well from deep, which goes to show you both teams can just flat out put points on the scoreboard.

In the last three Wizards games, Washington has proved their offense is back to form.  Their defense?  Well, it needs some work still.  Mike Miller is day-to-day after playing through pain last night in Oklahoma and former Spur Fabricio Oberto is still sore as well.  And to top it all off, San Antonio has beaten Washington nine times in a row at home, which means the Wizards haven't beaten the Spurs since 1999, some ten years ago.

Washington will have their hands full tonight, but with Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and Gilbert Arenas together, there should be a game to watch.  Tonight's game will air at 8:30 p.m. ET on Comcast SportsNet, nationally on NBATV, and on 106.7 The Fan via radio or Internet stream. 

Also, be sure to check out today's Euroleague Basketball highlight as Olympiacos challenges Efes Pilsen.  NBATV broadcasts a Euroleague game replay every Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET.  And check out the second installment of Wizards Magazine tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. in the afternoon.  Need an alternative to the alternative?  If you're an IFC subscriber, check out The Year of Yao, a documentary on the Houston Rockets' Yao Ming, today at 1:45 p.m. ET.

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