Charlotte comes from 13 down in second half to win, 92-89
If the Wizards aren’t going to be good, then why not have some fun?
That was the message Saturday night at Verizon Center as 7-foot JaVale McGee peeled off his warm-ups for the first time in five games and put a charge in a sleepy Saturday crowd.
With three huge strides, two dribbles, and a sensational windmill dunk, McGee suggested that the Wizards are headed in a new direction – maybe not better, but decidedly younger, more entertaining, and with an eye to the future.
Saturday’s 92-89 loss to Charlotte was another in a series of second half fades for Washington, but at least the sellout crowd of 20,173 could take home some enticing images of what the Wizards will look like in 2009-2010.
For the first time this year, Javaris Crittenton, Nick Young, Dominic McGuire, Andray Blatche and McGee all played at least 18 minutes. None are older than 23. With the Wizards (7-29) better positioned for the lottery than for the playoffs, is the shape of things to come?
“It was time for them to get an opportunity,” said interim coach Ed Tapscott. “JaVale came in and did a heck of a job and made a big difference in there. If he continues like that, he will continue to play more. We have to make sure that everybody plays to a team scheme. When people divert, other people get a chance.”
Instead of turning to All-Stars Caron Butler (19 points) or Antawn Jamison (13 points) with the game on the line in the closing seconds, the Wizards put the ball in the hands of Young (12 points), who missed a 15-foot fade away with four seconds left.
It was the kind of shot Young had buried several times in his 6 for 9 shooting night and the evening before, when he went 12 for 15 on his way to 28 points at Chicago. But this time the shot was short. It was the 11th occasion this year that Washington lost a game it had led in the fourth quarter.
“That last shot, I really thought it was going in,” said Crittenton. “It was a good look for him.”
Washington led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter and had a 82-77 advantage when Crittenton scored on a fastbreak layup with 5:53 to go. But after that, the Wizards got only one more field goal the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, Charlotte (14-24) scored on five straight possessions. Reserve guard Shannon Brown buried a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws as the Bobcats took a 90-85 lead.
“We ended up harvesting what we sowed,” said Tapscott. “Down the stretch, the toughest thing to do is get clean looks. Everyone is playing hard, and you have to control the ball. You got to control the boards and you got to get stops.”
Still, Washington had a chance after Butler hit two free throws and Blatche (14 points, 10 rebounds) added a layup that made it 90-89.
“We had a great opportunity,” said Butler. “Nick Young is a great one-on-one player, but he fell a little short. We lost a game that we felt like we should have had and that’s tough.”
Charlotte was led by forward Boris Diaw (18 points) and guards Raja Bell (19 points, 5 assists) and Raymond Felton (9 points, 11 assists). Former Wizard Juwan Howard (12 points) answered boos by hitting 6 of 9 shots, scoring his two-season high.
The Wizards’ five young players were solid, combining to drop 22 of 36 from the floor, including 4 of 4 by McGee (9 points, 4 rebounds, 19 minutes). Expect to see them on the floor a lot against Milwaukee on Monday night.
“I thought we played hard today. I can’t tell you what happened,” said Crittenton of the team’s young corps. “We’re pretty disappointed we blew that lead. We knew we had to step up.”
Notes » Jamison bumped knees with a Charlotte player in the second period and went to the locker room before the half was over, but played in the second half. He will be evaluated at practice Sunday.
