Wizards pummeled by Pacers on the road

November 7, 5:01 PMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

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Haywood had a monster game last night but neither he or
Washington's reserve big men could stop Indiana inside.
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Wizards' Season Record: 2-4
Tomorrow's Game: Washington vs. Phoenix
Game Time: 1:00 p.m. ET. on Comcast SportsNet
and 106.7 The Fan.

Washington couldn't stop the Indiana Pacers inside or out last night and fell in a 102-86 road loss.  Caron Butler led Washington with 24 points while Brendan Haywood reached a career-high 19 rebounds against Roy Hibbert and the NBA debut of Tyler Hansbrough.

Hibbert and Hansbrough only played a combined 42 minutes last night for the Pacers at the center/forward swing, but during the stretches in which they played, they sure made their minutes count against the Wizards.  Washington gave them several defensive looks, but were unable to find an answer.

Hibbert finished with a line of 12 points, 11 rebounds, and a season-high 5 blocks in just under 28 minutes, while Hansbrough finished with a line of 13 points on a few baskets and 7-for-10 free throw shooting to go along with 5 rebounds in just under 14 minutes.  Hibbert looks especially spry and mobile, more so than I recall when I watched him play Georgetown, and Hansbrough, if his record-breaking career at North Carolina can translate in the NBA like it did last night, is looking to be the next David Lee for fantasy owners' consideration.

Hansbrough (left) brought hustle and energy last night in Indiana,
something the Wizards miss right now with Antawn Jamison on
the bench.  (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Wizards power forward Fabricio Oberto found himself in early foul trouble trying to stop Hansbrough and picked up two quick fouls early in the second quarter, making matters difficult for Washington's defensive plans.  Foul trouble has been an ongoing problem for Oberto, who is averaging only 19.5 minutes per game as a starter this season due to his 3.2 fouls per game.   However, the good news for Washington is Oberto is playing his best ball at home, and the Wizards will host the Phoenix Suns tomorrow in an early afternoon game.  At home, Oberto is averaging 22.5 minutes and only 2.0 fouls per game at home this season.  A three minutes difference might not seem like a lot, but in the NBA, three minutes is more than a lifetime.

The Suns have some quick, young forward/centers, just like Indiana, and should provide a tough battle for Washington.  Haywood, who had a pretty solid game against Hibbert, with 9 points, 19 rebounds, and, 4 blocks (only one against Hibbert himself), will likely take the challenge of guarding Channing Frye and Amar'e Stoudemire head-on, while Gilbert Arenas will need to keep Steve Nash's higher-than-average turnover rate this season up to help Oberto and the Wizards avoid early foul trouble.

Gilbert Arenas, who reached a career milestone 10,000 points before half last night in Indiana, hasn't played a single game since training camp without committing at least three turnovers, which is expected due to his role as ball handler, especially on a team with new pieces.  Steve Nash is in a similar boat, due to the return of Amar'e Stoudemire this season after an eye injury which required "STAT" to take a seven month break from the game.

The 5-1 Suns are actually scoring more points and allowing less points to opponents than last season when they had Shaquille O'Neal, however, Phoenix is still a team Washington will be able to score on.  Defense is going to be the big question, and whether they can control the pick-and-roll and stop-and-pop the Suns are capable of running for 48 minutes.  I'll be there live at tomorrow's 1:00 p.m. ET game and will Tweet at half if I find the time, and will have a recap by Sunday night.

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