Washington Wizards Blog – Page 46 – NBA Blog

Wizards stun Heat 105-101 for 2nd win of season

Well, to pretty much everyone’s surprise, the Wizards doubled their season victory total, beating the Heat 105-101 on Tuesday night behind Jordan Crawford’s 22 points – and despite James’ triple-double of 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists…

The Wizards improved to 2-13, earning their second win in the past three games after starting a franchise-worst 0-12…

Afterward, with his feet soaking in a tub of ice, and his eyes scanning a box score, James chuckled a bit at the notion that Miami might learn something from the surprising setback.

”Nah, man, there’s not no lesson. This ain’t a lesson for us. We just lost,” James explained. ”We’ve seen and been through everything, so we don’t need a loss to be like, ‘Oh, let’s catch ourselves.’ It happens.”

He missed a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left that could have given the Heat a lead, and another from beyond the arc that would have tied the score with 3.9 to go…

With a crowd of 17,761 – not, incidentally, a sellout – standing and screaming down the stretch, relishing that rare chance to witness a compelling game, Kevin Seraphin contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts, while Crawford made three free throws in the final 11 seconds…

— Reported by Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press

Miami’s all-star trio of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 70 points, but the Wizards helped keep the rest of the Heat players in check. The Heat (12-4) also struggled from beyond the three-point line, missed 20 of its 28 attempts from long distance, including five in a row after former Wizard Mike Miller made a three-pointer that brought his team within 97-95 with 4 minutes 16 seconds left.

James had his first triple-double of the season with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists but he missed a three-pointer that could’ve tied the score with 3.9 seconds remaining.

Nene clinched the victory by grabbing the rebound and making a free throw.

“We know that every team is going to come playing their very best. They’re going to make shots they normally don’t make,” said James, who learned how much the tides have turned since he became an NBA champion, as he received the loudest cheers of any player; unusual for a player once despised in Washington during some infamous playoff battles with the Wizards between 2006-08.

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post

No Trevor Booker any time soon for Wizards

Trevor Booker is no longer going to be listed as day-to-day with a strained right knee.

Booker has missed the past five games since getting injured in a loss against Indiana nearly two weeks ago, but Coach Randy Wittman said on Sunday there is still “soreness and swelling” in Booker’s knee and that the energetic forward wouldn’t return for “probably another couple of weeks.”

While traveling with the team to New York last week, Booker visited with a doctor who informed him that he needed to rest for a while longer before coming back.

“They said I shouldn’t play until don’t have any pain,” Booker said. “I’ll wait for that to clear up, but I’m feeling better each day.”

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post

Wizards beat Blazers for first win of season

After their worst start in history, the Washington Wizards became a national punch line. On TNT, Charles Barkley compared them with the Washington Generals, and a local newspaper had photos of fans wearing paper bags over their heads at Monday’s 26-point loss to San Antonio.

The jokes can stop – at least for now.

Washington earned its first victory after starting the season with 12 straight losses, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 84-82 on Wednesday night.

”When you’re 0-12, guys are going to make fun. That’s our business, guys,” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said…

Washington survived a scoreless 6:47 in the fourth when Jordan Crawford, who had 19 points, hit on a 3-pointer with 2:06 to play. The Wizards finally took the 84-82 lead on Emeka Okafor’s two free throws with 39.1 seconds remaining…

Trevor Ariza had 14 and Kevin Seraphin added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Washington, which ended the third quarter on a 23-7 run to take a 68-59 lead, then padded its lead to 15 barely three minutes into the fourth…

Lillard and Nicolas Batum led Portland, losers of three straight, with 20. LaMarcus Aldridge had 17. Hickson had 15 points and 19 rebounds.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Nene rests Sunday but expected to play against San Antonio

After playing a surprising 29 minutes off the bench in the Wizards’ 108-106 double overtime loss to Charlotte, Nene slouched in his locker room stall, left foot in a bucket of ice, and joked with teammate Kevin Seraphin that he needed a teleporter to take him to the training room.

Nene eventually got up and moved around on his own strength afterward. But he was a spectator for Sunday’s light practice, looking on in a red T-shirt and leaving for the locker room afterward, accompanied by the team masseuse.

Coach Randy Wittman said he expects to have the Brazilian big man in uniform when the Wizards host San Antonio on Monday, though conditioning remains a concern for games that basically amount to training camp and preseason with Nene missing three months of action.

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post

Wizards fall to Bobcats in 2OT

A season ago, the Charlotte Bobcats were the losingest team in the history of the NBA. The Washington Wizards are trying to avoid that distinction.

The Bobcats beat the Wizards 108-106 in two overtimes on Saturday night, equaling their win total from last season in just their 12th game.

In the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, Charlotte was 7-59, the lowest winning percentage in NBA history. They’re already 7-5.

Washington was hoping to win its first game, but fell to 0-11…

Byron Mullens scored 27 points, Ramon Sessions had 20 and Ben Gordon added 19 for the Bobcats…

Martel Webster had 21 points for Washington and Nene scored 19. It was just the second game for Nene after he missed the first nine with a foot injury.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Wizards waive Jannero Pargo, sign Shaun Livingston

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed free agent guard Shaun Livingston.

The Wizards have also waived Jannero Pargo.

“We are obviously familiar with what Shaun brings both on and off the court based on his previous time here and we’re confident that he will be a positive addition to our team,” said Grunfeld. “His size and playmaking ability will give us more flexibility in the backcourt.”

Livingston (6-7, 175) was originally selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft out of Peoria Central High School in Illinois. He appeared in 26 games (18 starts) with the Wizards in 2009-10, averaging 9.2 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds.

In seven seasons with Los Angeles, Miami, Oklahoma City, Washington, Charlotte and Milwaukee, the 27-year old holds career averages of 6.8 points, 3.5 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game while shooting .460 from the field and .778 from the line. He has appeared in 12 career playoff games (all with Los Angeles during the 2005-06 campaign), averaging 7.5 points, 4.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 27.6 minutes.

Last season with Milwaukee, Livingston appeared in 58 games, including 27 starts, and averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per contest. He spent the 2012-13 preseason with Houston, appearing in four games and averaging 2.5 points and 3.3 assists in 13.8 minutes.

Pargo, who is now waived, appeared in seven games while averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 14.6 minutes. The Wizards roster now stands at 15.

No date for John Wall return, yet

John Wall plans to visit a doctor in Washington on Thursday to get an update on the stress injury in his left knee. Wall found out about the problem five weeks ago, when he visited orthopedic specialist David Altchek in New York and the Wizards projected that he would miss at least eight weeks.

He isn’t expected to return until close to December, and while those close to him have hoped that he could return by Nov. 30 in New York, Wall said he doesn’t have a scheduled return in his mind.

“No target at all,” Wall said, shaking his head. “No. I wish I did.”

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Blog)

Scottie Pippen describes playing Election Day basketball with Obama

Former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen says President Barack Obama has a ”smooth game” on the basketball court.

Pippen described playing basketball with the president Tuesday afternoon in a story on the Chicago Bulls website. He played on Obama’s team in an Election Day game complete with referees and a running clock. Pippen and Obama’s team won the game.

Pippen says the president was ”very easy to approach” and says Obama isn’t an overly aggressive player, probably because he doesn’t want to get hurt.

— Reported by the Associated Press

“When he first entered the gym, if you hadn’t looked over to see him, you wouldn’t have noticed,” said Pippen of Obama. “It was surprisingly low key. He just came in and started shaking hands. He’s someone who is very easy to approach.”

It was the first time Pippen had met Obama. The connection was made through a mutual friend, Marty Nesbitt. Obama mentioned that Nesbitt thinks very highly of Pippen.

“He said it was a pleasure to meet me and that he had heard good things about me from Marty,” said Pippen. “I told him, ‘Thank you and I wish you well tonight. But if you want to be a winner this afternoon, you better play with me.’”

— Reported by Adam Fluck of Bulls.com

“We kind of blew them out,” said Pippen. “It should have been worse but we started messing around at the end. The game was close for awhile, but in the third quarter we opened it up. They tried to get back in it in the fourth, but we kept expanding the lead. It was a good game, fun and competitive.”

The Election Day games began when Obama played on the day he won the Iowa caucuses in 2008. They became tradition after he lost the New Hampshire primary to Hillary Clinton on a day in which Obama did not play basketball.

Other participants in this year’s edition included former Bulls guard Randy Brown, currently the team’s Special Assistant to the General Manager, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

— Reported by Adam Fluck of Bulls.com

President Obama will play basketball on Election Day

The president will observe his most time-honored Election Day ritual.

Former White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, who has joined the campaign on its final day to travel with President Obama, said his former boss sent an e-mail to his former personal aide, Reggie Love, to start organizing his regular pickup basketball game in Chicago for Tuesday.

Love is a former Duke University basketball player and regular hoops buddy of Obama’s, as is Chicago pal Martin Nesbitt, who has been traveling with Obama this week. The president will return to Chicago late Monday night to spend election day in his home town.

— Reported by David Nakamura of the Washington Post

Wizards waive Brian Cook and Shelvin Mack

Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived center/forward Brian Cook and guard Shelvin Mack.

Cook was originally traded to Washington along with Nene on March 15, 2012 as part of a three-team deal that sent JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver and Nick Young to the Los Angeles Clippers. He was re-signed by Washington on September 17, 2012. In 16 games with the Wizards last season, Cook averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting .408 from the field. He averaged 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in seven games during the 2012 preseason.

Mack was originally selected by Washington with the 34th overall pick in 2011 NBA Draft. In 64 games during his rookie campaign, he averaged 3.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 12.2 minutes per contest. Mack averaged 4.1 points in eight games during the 2012 preseason.

The Wizards’ roster now stands at 15.