The AP reports: Marvin Williams scored 28 points, Horford added 16, and Joe Johnson had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawks completed a 4-0 season sweep of the Wizards. Atlanta was in need of a slump-busting win, having lost five of seven after Sunday night’s 88-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a game decided on a free throw by LeBron James with 1.6 seconds left… Antawn Jamison scored 23 points for the Wizards, whose talent level took another plunge when Caron Butler was scratched with tightness in his left hamstring. Washington fell to 0-13 against the Southeast Division, just three games away from becoming the first NBA team to go winless within its division.
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DeShawn Stevenson done for season
The Washington Post (Ivan Carter) report (via blog): Spoke with DeShawn Stevenson before the game and he said that he’s undergoing surgery later this week to repair a herniated disk in his lower back. That means his season is officially over. He said it would be roughly two months before he can resume hoops activity.
InsideHoops.com note: Stevenson this season was averaging just 6.6 points and 3.1 assists per game on awful 31.2% shooting. He only played in 32 games and hasn’t seen action since January 31 when he scored two points in a Wizards win over the Clippers.
Bucks shoot well, beat Wizards 109-93
The AP reports: Charlie Villanueva scored 25 points and Richard Jefferson added 22 to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to an easy 109-93 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. Milwaukee never trailed, opened up a double-digit lead in the opening minutes and was never seriously threatened to win its fourth straight over Washington and avoid losing three in a row for the first time since early December… Reserve Dan Gadzuric had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Ramon Sessions added 12 points and 10 assists. The Bucks also got 13 points from rookie Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and 12 from Charlie Bell… Washington would mount no such challenge despite getting 21 points and 14 rebounds from Antawn Jamison. Caron Butler scored 19 and Nick Young added 13 for the Wizards, who had an inspired 113-90 victory over Chicago on Friday night.
With Obama in front row, Wizards beat Bulls 113-90
The AP reports: Caron Butler implored the officials not to start the game until a certain special spectator reached his front-row seat. And when President Barack Obama finally arrived Friday night, delaying the tipoff by a few minutes, Butler and the rest of the Washington Wizards set out to send a message to the First Fan by beating his Chicago Bulls… But with Antawn Jamison leading the way with 27 points and 11 rebounds, Washington led by as many as 15 in the first quarter and—after the Bulls closed within 49-45 at halftime—by 25 in the fourth period to the delight of most of the 18,114 in attendance… John Salmons scored 25 for the Bulls, who shot under 40 percent and were outrebounded 53-37.
President Obama attends Wizards game
The Washington Wizards welcomed President Barack Obama to tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls.
He left with just under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter as the Wizards were enjoying a 103-86 victory. Surrounded by security, Obama shook hands hands with plenty of fans and received a nice ovation from the crowd as he headed out.
Obama attended the game as a special guest of Abe Pollin, owner of the Wizards and Verizon Center. Tonight marked his first presidential appearance at an NBA game.
“We are very proud and honored that President Obama attended tonight’s game at Verizon Center,” said Pollin. “Irene and I want to officially welcome the president to the neighborhood and hope that he and his family will attend many more events here at Verizon Center.”
Obama viewed the game both from the stands and as a guest in Pollin’s suite. He joins Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter as presidents who have attended Wizards/Bullets games.
Read fan discussion and post your own comments in this forum thread.
Antawn Jamison likes Dominic McGuire
Here’s what Washington Wizards forward Antawn Jamison said about teammate Dominic McGuire: “He’s awesome. He’s one of the young guys that you trust night-in and night-out. He’s going to bring it. He’s going to give you 100 percent and he’s going to play with the energy and effort that you need. That’s why I like him. I like a young guy that’s going to come out there and just play and not make any excuses. He accepts criticism. He wants to do well and he wants to win. He’s not worried about numbers or anything like that. He’s just going out there and keep playing basketball the way it should be played.”
Huge Iguodala game, 76ers beat Wizards 106-98
The AP reports: Andre Iguodala had 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds Wednesday night as the 76ers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 106-98 win over the Washington Wizards… Andre Miller scored 17 points, Louis Williams had 16 points, Willie Green chipped in 12, and Samuel Dalembert finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds as the 76ers improved to .500 on the season… Caron Butler scored 17, Jamison had 16, and Dominic McGuire picked up 14 points and matched his career-high with 14 rebounds for the Wizards, who were hurt by 21 turnovers, including nine in the third quarter.
Mason scores 25, Spurs beat Wizards 98-67
The AP reports: The player that got away, Roger Mason, comes back with the San Antonio Spurs and drops 25 points—on a night the awful Washington Wizards post their lowest points total in six years. A season of embarrassment for president Ernie Grunfield’s front office hit another low Saturday as the travel-weary Spurs beat the Wizards 98-67… Mason went 9-for-15 from the field, including 5-for-9 from 3-point range, and had 10 points and two steals in the 19-4 run that capped the third quarter and gave the Spurs a 78-57 lead… Mason certainly could have been a fourth option on a night when Caron Butler (24 points), Jamison (16) and Darius Songaila (15) accounted for all but two points scored by the entire Wizards roster through the first three quarters.
Jamison gets 29; Wizards beat Timberwolves 111-103
The AP reports: The Wizards avoided further embarrassment by pulling away in the final minute for a 111-103 victory Tuesday night in a game that guaranteed that at least one struggling team would start the season’s homestretch on a good note. “We couldn’t have lost this game,” said Mike James, who scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter and hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 70 seconds… Antawn Jamison had 29 points and 11 rebounds, leading six players in double figures for the Wizards. Caron Butler added 17 points, six assists and five rebounds before limping off to the locker room in the final minute. Butler fell to the court clutching a rebound and banged his left hip, near the joint where he had a small labral tear that cost him 19 games last season… Randy Foye scored 23 points, Mike Miller scored 18, and Kevin Love had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who overcame the big first-half deficit but blew a six-point fourth-quarter lead.
NBA to borrow $175 million
The Sports Business Journal (Daniel Kaplan and John Lombardo) reports: The NBA is set to borrow $175 million Feb. 26, marking one of the first league financings since the implosion of the credit markets last fall. The money, which will be available to 15 teams, supplements an existing $1.7 billion leaguewide credit facility that uses the NBA’s media contracts as collateral to secure loans for the clubs. The NBA surveyed its teams, and 15 responded they would like to tap into the new borrowing. While the league said it is pleased to borrow in an extremely illiquid credit market, the deal came at a cost, with interest rates up to 8.27 percent, hammering home the notion that the era of cheap money in sports is over. The 15 teams can use the money for any purpose, but covering operating losses may be high on the list.
InsideHoops.com editor says: Loan me three fiddy. I want some ribs.