If Sunday afternoon’s 102-90 defeat against Phoenix had been an aberration, perhaps the Wizards could’ve looked solely at the positive steps they took following an ugly and anger-inspiring loss two nights before.
But even with two injured starters likely set to return in just over a week’s time, the fight is on to fend off feelings of horrible déjà vu.
“This is nothing like last year,” said Andray Blatche. “We’re not going to allow it to be like that. We’re going to definitely turn this switch on. We just got to be patient and continue to work hard and have trust in one another.”
Without Antawn Jamison (shoulder) and Mike Miller (shoulder), the Wizards (2-5) again turned to Gilbert Arenas (20 points, 6 assists) and Caron Butler (19 points, 6 rebounds), but the two veterans combined to shoot just 33 percent (14 for 42) from the field.
At the other end of the court, Steve Nash served up 17 assists as the Suns (6-1) overcame 21 turnovers with 48 percent shooting from field. Led by Jason Richardson (22 points), all five Phoenix starters scored in double figures, with three of them grabbing at least 10 rebounds.
“To hold them to 102 the way we’ve been playing is not that bad,” said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders. “It’s been a never ending thing here lately. Our offense has been stagnant, and we’re struggling offensively, which has put a lot of under pressure on us defensively.”
Arenas had it going early, scoring the last of his 12 first-quarter points on a long three-pointer just before the final buzzer. But he hit just two shots the rest of the way.
The Suns stretched a five-point halftime lead to nine after a third quarter in which they didn’t turn the ball over and Nash had seven assists.
Washington cut the lead to 89-83 after consecutive jumper by Andray Blatch (20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks), but got no closer. On its next two possessions, Arenas missed a layup and Brendan Haywood (10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks) missed two free throws.
“We couldn’t get over the hump today,” said Haywood. “It was just one of those games. Whether it was missed free throws by me or a big play by them, it seemed like they always had an answer for us. It’s like that sometimes.”
