Washington has won three of last four games
The Washington Wizards lost to injury their most significant acquisition from a host of trade deadline deals last week, but it wasn’t enough to stop them from winning for the third time in four games since the All-Star break.
Josh Howard, who had averaged 17 points in three games since arriving in D.C. last week via a trade with Dallas that in part sent Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to the Mavericks, suffered a sprained left knee with 4 minutes, 23 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
But Andray Blatche, who also was forced to the locker room for a portion of the third quarter with a bloodied right eye, had his third double-double (25 points, 11 rebounds) in four games to help Washington snap Chicago’s four-game winning streak with a 101-95 victory in front of 14,113 at Verizon Center.
Al Thornton contributed 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench, Randy Foye had 16 points and nine assists, and James Singleton added nine points and 12 rebounds as Washington (20-34) won its fourth straight at home.
Derrick Rose had nine of his team-high 22 points for the Bulls (29-27) in the fourth quarter. He added six assists, but could not erase a lead that was as high as 13 points, 93-80, with 5:25 remaining in the game.
On a long outlet pass from Mike Miller, Howard (7 points) collided downcourt with a Bulls player and crumpled to the ground clutching his left knee. He had to be helped off the court and was done for the night by the end of the quarter.
With or without Howard — their most expensive active player — the Wizards continue to be equal parts frustrating and exciting.
The Wizards turned the ball over 11 times in the first half and spotted the Bulls a 10-point lead by halftime. But in what has become a hallmark of the revamped roster, they were the aggressors after the break, opening the third quarter with a 16-2 run to take the lead for good.
