The Washington Wizards return to the court after a slightly
longer break than anticipated in tonight's clash with the Charlotte Bobcats
from Time Warner Cable Arena.
Washington has not played since posting an impressive one-point win on the
road over Southeast Division leader Orlando on Friday. The Wizards were
scheduled to host Atlanta the following day, but the contest had to be
postponed due to the massive snowstorm that hit the Mid-Atlantic area on
Saturday.
Caron Butler led the way in Washington's 92-91 decision over the Magic by
pouring in 31 points, 29 of which came in the second half. The Wizards were
down by as many as 21 points early on, but outscored Orlando 39-17 in the
third quarter to take a 74-67 lead entering the fourth.
In a back-and-forth final frame, Orlando's Rashard Lewis nearly spoiled
Washington's comeback by hitting a go-ahead three-pointer with 4.6 seconds to
play. However, Butler answered by sinking a baseline 19-footer just before the
final buzzer to send the Magic to just their fifth home loss this season.
"I had a great situation with [Orlando's] Matt Barnes on me," Butler said.
"And there was some air space, so I followed through and hit the shot."
Randy Foye made a big contribution to Friday's upset as well, compiling 22
points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Wizards.
Washington has now won three of its last five outings and bounced back
strongly from an ugly 107-85 loss at New York last Wednesday, a game Butler
missed due to swelling in his left knee.
A victory over the improving Bobcats would be nearly as impressive,
considering Charlotte is an excellent 18-6 at home this season and has won
five of its last six encounters with the Wizards, including a 92-76 rout in
Washington on November 28.
The Bobcats have lost their last two tilts at Time Warner Cable Arena, though,
and are mired in a three-game overall losing streak following Saturday's
104-99 home loss to New Orleans.
Charlotte fought back from a five-point deficit to start the fourth quarter
and tied the game at 83-83 on a Stephen Graham three-pointer followed by a
dunk by Flip Murray. The Hornets countered with a 12-2 run sparked by
consecutive three-pointers by Morris Peterson, however, and later extended the
margin to 12 points, 100-88, with under five minutes to play.
Stephen Jackson scored 26 points and handed out six assists for the Bobcats,
who were coming off a 3-3 road trip that ended with a tough 99-97 loss to the
defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.
All-Star Gerald Wallace, who sat out the Los Angeles game with a strained left
hamstring, returned to action on Saturday and finished with 14 points and
seven rebounds.
The Bobcats may get another important player back in the lineup tonight.
Center Tyson Chandler, out since December 22 with a stress reaction in his
left foot, practiced fully on Monday and could be ready to go against the
Wizards. The seven-footer averaged 6.6 points and 7.0 rebounds prior to the
injury.
Point guard Raymond Felton, however, suffered a sprained right ankle in
Monday's session, and his status for tonight's game is unknown. The former
University of North Carolina star is averaging 12.1 points and 5.1 assists
this season.
Despite their current slide, the Bobcats are tied with Chicago for sixth in
the Eastern Conference with a 24-25 record. Charlotte has not reached the
playoffs since entering the NBA as an expansion team in 2004-05.
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