Washington Wizards Blog – Page 73 – NBA Blog

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.

Bobcats starters pound undermanned Wizards, 101-89

The AP reports: There were numerous contributors that helped overwhelm the banged-up Wizards. Rookie D.J. Augustin scored 24 points and newcomer Vladimir Radmanovic added 21 points. They combined to hit nine of 17 3-pointers in starting roles. Emeka Okafor dominated the inside with 16 points and 13 rebounds and Felton came close to his first career triple-double with 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists… There was less optimism on the Washington side. Caron Butler scored 26 points and Antawn Jamison had 23 points and nine rebounds, but they got little help and the Wizards were woeful on defense in their 10th loss in 12 games.

Johnson scores 22, Hawks rock Wizards 111-90

The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 22 points and the Hawks led from start to finish, erasing the memory off a dismal blowout by the Los Angeles Clippers with a 111-90 rout of the undermanned Wizards on Tuesday night. Atlanta raced to a 9-1 lead before most of the sparse crowd had even settled into its seats… Mike Bibby, who didn’t play against L.A. because of a sprained foot, scored 12 points and doled out six assists in 26 minutes… Caron Butler scored 22 points, but the last-place Wizards were outmanned, as they are on most nights without Gilbert Arenas, Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas.

Butler leads Washington to 119-117 win over Pacers

The AP reports: Caron Butler scored 15 straight points, including a game-winning 18-footer at the buzzer, as the Wizards edged the Indiana Pacers 119-117 on Sunday night… Danny Granger led Indiana with 29 points, while T.J. Ford added 23 and Troy Murphy had 18 and 10 rebounds… Through the first three quarters, Antawn Jamison kept Washington afloat with a season-high 34 points, but he missed both his shots in the fourth quarter. Fortunately for the Wizards, who recorded just their 11th win against 40 losses, Butler more than made up for him.

Nets beat injured Wizards 115-88

The AP reports: In what hardly seemed like a fair fight, the Nets won their third straight game Wednesday night by shooting 61 percent in a 115-88 victory over the worst-in-the-East Washington Wizards, who had Caron Butler absent with the flu and Antawn Jamison giving a should-have-been-absent 4-for-20 shooting performance. Devin Harris scored 26 points, Vince Carter added 20, Ryan Anderson got 18, and Keyon Dooling had 14 for the Nets, who made 12 of 22 3-pointers and turned the game into a rout by outscoring the Wizards 35-18 in the third period.