Wizards, Wall seeking 1st win in home opener
John Wall left Verizon Center after practice with his right ankle in a walking boot, but he’s still expected to play in Washington’s home opener. Gilbert Arenas, on the other hand, didn’t have a boot on, but his balky right ankle, which has already sidelined him for the Wizards’ first two games of the season, is expected to do so for at least one more.
That’s the way the Wizards head into their third game of the season Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers (0-3), a contest that at the very least will result in the first victory of the year for one team. No matter which club loses, both remain a work in progress.
Wall tweaked his ankle on a drive to the basket at the end of the third quarter against Atlanta on Saturday, a game in which he scored 22 of his 28 points in the second half, including 10 in the final quarter.
“It’s nothing bad,” reassured Wall when asked about the boot. “When your ankle is swollen or something like that, it takes the pressure away, makes it get healing faster.”
“I would expect that he’ll be okay,” Wizards head coach Flip Saunders said.
Arenas, who received an injection in his strained right ankle tendon last week, was scheduled for a follow-up MRI on Monday afternoon, and his status will be a game-time decision. He hasn’t practiced fully in more than a week.
“I would say it’s very unlikely he’s going to play,” Saunders said. “I would say from a standpoint that he’s done a few things, but not many.”
After a pair of losses to teams that went to last year’s playoffs, the Wizards (0-2) see an opportunity against the struggling Sixers. Philadelphia still is finding its way under a former Washington head coach, Doug Collins, who replaced another former Washington coach, Eddie Jordan, in the offseason. In addition, Philadelphia offers a chance for Wall to measure himself against fellow rookie Evan Turner, who was selected immediately after him with the second pick in last June’s NBA Draft.
“It’ll be good to be home,” said Wizards guard Kirk Hinrich, who will play his first home game as a member of the Wizards. “Hopefully, we’ll have a lot of energy in the building. I think everybody’s excited to just keep moving forward, and I think everybody’s heads are in the right place, as far as wanting to improve and wanting to win games.”
