This has become apparent in the first quarter of the Wizards’ season: Coach Eddie Jordan can depend on his starting lineup, and he has no idea what to expect from his bench.
Sunday night against the New Jersey Nets, with his young reserves misfiring, Jordan relied on his veteran starters and they rewarded a crowd of 13,712 with a 104-89 victory at Verizon Center.
After the Wizards’ young, thin bench turned a 10-point lead into an 11-point deficit in the first half, Jordan stuck with his starters as long as he could in the second half and the usual suspects produced.
All the starters scored in double figures led by forward Caron Butler, who had 28 in 44 minutes and contributed tough defense on Richard Jefferson (nine points). Forward Antawn Jamison scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a whopping 46 minutes.
“I’m not as old as you think I am,” said Jamison. “We both knew the importance of this game and coach knew that we had to be out there to take it to another level. I’ll get some rest, put the kids to sleep and be ready to go tomorrow.”
The Wizards also got a big effort from forward Darius Songaila (11 points, six rebounds), who played all of his 15 minutes in the second half before leaving with a sprained left ankle. Veteran guard Roger Mason (nine points) also contributed off the bench.
In improving to 10-10, Washington overcame Vince Carter (30 points) and a triple-double by Jason Kidd (13 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds).
“You can’t script it better than the way we did tonight,” said Jamison. “We made it tougher in the second half for Vince and definitely for Richard Jefferson.”
Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson (12 points) awakened a lackluster crowd with a fastbreak dunk over Jefferson, followed by a taunt, which earned him a technical foul. On the Wizards’ next possession, Stevenson hit a fall away 3-pointer and Washington was on its way.
“We’re understanding who we are and how we can win games,” Jordan said. “I thought we out-worked them. Second half was just a gut check.”
Net Notes
» With three free throws, Roger Mason touched off an 8-0 run to close the third period. “He’s our quiet assassin,” said coach Eddie Jordan.
» In the fourth quarter, Butler put the game away with six consecutive points, four off the offensive boards.
» Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman was seated courtside with Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.
