It’s a night normally reserved for college basketball. But with the condensed NBA schedule thanks to the lockout, the Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks will tip off just after 7 p.m. and attempt to play a game in less than 2 hours, 23 minutes, just enough time to allow players and fans alike to rush out of the arena to wherever they hope to catch the NCAA championship game between Kentucky and Kansas.
The Wizards will play their second consecutive game without Nene and Trevor Booker, who are both still suffering from plantar fasciitis in their respective left feet. Without them, the Wizards offer up the most inexperienced starting lineup in franchise history: John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Chris Singleton, Jan Vesely and Kevin Seraphin. They have a combined 3 years’ experience (with Wall, Crawford and Seraphin) or a combined 411 games between the five of them, which balances out to the equivalent of five full NBA seasons split between the five players.
At the same time, the Wizards’ streak of holding consecutive opponents under 100 points now stands at nine. The last time it went to 10 was in 2001, a streak where the Wizards were 9-1. They’re 2-7 during the current defensive stand.
For the Bucks, Monta Ellis is back in the building where he has 25 points and eight assists in a 120-100 win for Golden State on Mar. 5. Milwaukee is 2½ games out of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Wizards were eliminated officially with last night’s loss at Toronto.
