Butler leads 12-0 run in final two minutes
Pulling his jersey over his head and flinging it to the crowd, Caron Butler expressed the Washington Wizards’ relief — Gilbert Arenas-style — Wednesday night at Verizon Center.
Butler’s gesture was in response to the Wizards’ long-awaited first victory, 95-87, over the Utah Jazz. With the win, Washington (1-5) avoided its worst start in franchise history before a crowd of 14,885.
“King Kong was on my back, man,” said Butler. “Just a sigh of relief.”
With 27 points, 9 rebounds, and the clinching 3-pointer from 27-feet out with 30 seconds left, Butler did his part.
“I was about to take that shot [thinking], I need this in my life,” said Butler. “I’ve had migraines and everything. I can sleep well tonight.”
Butler’s bomb came during a clutch 12-0 run in the final two minutes. Forward Antawn Jamison (21 points, 8 rebounds) touched off the rally with a 3-pointer. Reserve guard Nick Young (10 points) followed with a driving layup and two free throws. After losing fourth-period leads in three previous defeats, the Wizards finally had the finishing touch.
“It’s a relief, not having to answer the questions any more,” said Jamison. “We haven’t been finishing games — turnovers here, not converting offensively there. Now we’ve got to find a way to put four or five in a row together.”
The Wizards got another eye-opening performance from surprising rookie center JaVale McGee. In 27 minutes off the bench, the 7-footer had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.
“Sometimes this becomes routine. But when you see a guy block a shot, catch alley-oops, get the crowd into it, chest bumping everybody, it trickles down to the rest of the team.” said Jamison of McGee’s effect. “It’s something we need right now.”
McGee made an immediate impact when he entered in the first period, swatting a shot by Utah guard Ronnie Price. His presence was key as Washington blocked 10 shots and held Utah to 43 percent shooting from the floor, its best defensive showing this year.
“McGee blocked shots and made it tough for us to get the ball inside,” said Utah coach Jerry Sloan. “That’s what happens when players work hard. They make themselves better and they make their teams better.”
Until the Wizards’ final run, the game was close throughout, neither team leading by more than the five-point margin Washington had at the half thanks to a windmill dunk by McGee.
Behind Carlos Boozer (20 points, 7 rebounds) and C.J. Miles (16 points), Utah (6-2) held a four-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but Washington executed precisely, scoring on its final nine possessions. Butler led the attack, scoring 10 points in the final four minutes.
“I thought the Wizards just out-played us,” said Sloan. “They just seemed to want the game a little more than we did. They beat us off the dribble and on top of the basket. I thought the Wizards were a lot more aggressive on the boards than we were.”
The Wizards will want to hold that thought as they hit the road for a Friday night game in Miami (4-4), and again versus the Heat when the teams return to Verizon Center next Tuesday.
“What we saw tonight was what we can become,” said Wizards coach Eddie Jordan. “It’s what we can be if we work hard for 48 minutes … Pat Riley says there’s winning and misery. For us it’s relief and misery.”
