Is it just me, or is the biggest fear after a loss on the opening night of back-to-back games simply that the second night will be just as bad or worse? With that in mind, we’re in search of potential changes and lifelines for the Wizards, whose current seven-game losing streak already matches their longest of the year. It’s not an encouraging sign, then, that the Hawks are one of only six teams in the NBA with at least 15 road wins. That said, they will be without Al Horford, who is inactive after getting slammed hard to the deck by Blake Griffin in Atlanta’s 101-100 win over the Clippers last night.
Wizards head coach Flip Saunders is employing the same starting lineup as he did last night against Orlando, but the leash looks like it could be short on JaVale McGee, who was so ineffective against the Magic that the Orlando broadcasters thought he either still had the flu or was suffering through an asthma attack.
“It’s like the first two minutes he couldn’t breathe,” said Saunders. “I don’t know if he’s just struggling – he says he feels fine… We’re going to start him again, and we’ll put him in there, and we’ll just have to keep a close eye on him. But he’s got to give us some energy, both from his standpoint and also he’s got to hopefully eliminate the mental mistakes.”
That means it’ll be the bench again for rookie Trevor Booker, who had a monster 6 blocks against the Magic and is working on learning the small forward position so he’ll be a more versatile option. The 6-foot-8 Booker came into the NBA as an undersized power forward, but Washington has plenty of those already in Andray Blatche, Rashard Lewis and Yi Jianlian. Lewis can play the three, but not Blatche or Yi.
“Right now he’s not totally comfortable,” said Saunders, who said repetition will be what works best to get Booker up to speed. “There is a dilemma because depending how Dray’s playing, he’s a guy that could cut into his time. That’s why it’s going to be important for him to learn that three spot, to give him an opportunity to have more of an opportunity to keep him on the floor because with the way his energy is, what he gives us defensively, we need to have that on the floor.”
Saunders said the Wizards were targeting a return for Josh Howard next weekend.
