The Washington Wizards had three days off since their last game, enough time to reflect on the good feelings generated from winning four in a row and seven of their past eight. If the Wizards had their way, they probably wouldn't have waited so long to get back on the court, but it might not have mattered last night against the Denver Nuggets.
The Wizards came into the game tied with the best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference but they left with a 111-105 defeat -- their first loss at MCI Center in five games -- and the realization that there is plenty of room for improvement, especially in transition defense.
Larry Hughes, left, manuevers around Andre Miller. The Nuggets halts the Wizards, 111-105, Wednesday.
(Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP)
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"We have to get over it," forward Jarvis Hayes said. "There is no other option. We were 10-5 and nobody ever thought we were going to go 67-0 to close out the season. That's not how this league works."
Point guard Gilbert Arenas scored 28 points and forward Antawn Jamison had 27, but the Wizards (10-6) dropped to 1-5 this season against teams with winning records. Their attempt to win five games in a row for the first time since February 2002 was dashed on a night when Nuggets point guard Andre Miller and his backup, Earl Boykins, a 5-foot-5 shot of energy, played the uptempo style the Wizards like to play -- only better.
Miller hit nearly everything he put up, scoring a season-high 34 points on 15-of-25 shooting. Boykins moved up and down the court quicker than the Wizards could react, scoring 13 points and reminding Arenas of the season he played with Boykins in Golden State. "He's an Energizer Bunny," Arenas said. Miller and Boykins had eight assists each, combining for just three fewer than the Wizards (19).
The Nuggets also controlled the middle with the interior defense of center Marcus Camby and forward Kenyon Martin, who combined to block five shots. Camby notched a season-high 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony didn't even have to play his best game, but he still finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.
"We let them get comfortable," Wizards guard Larry Hughes said after scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds. "They pretty much did what they wanted to do."
The Nuggets shot 49.5 percent from the field and had 28 fast-break points, as they sent someone running toward the other end of the court almost every time the Wizards attempted a jumper.
"Their big guys look to get the rebound, and by the time they get it, their guards have already taken off," Hughes said. "They got a lot of buckets by going over the top of us when we didn't get back. We'll fix that."
The Nuggets, a Western Conference playoff team last season, have won 10 of their last 13 games, including back-to-back wins against the Wizards' Southeast Division rivals Miami and Orlando coming into this game.
The Wizards had to get the feeling that it wouldn't be their night near the end of the first half, when Jamison took a chance and paid the price. After Arenas made a three-pointer to bring the Wizards within seven points with 49 seconds left, Miller missed a jumper from the right baseline with less than two seconds remaining in the half.
Jamison grabbed the rebound and quickly tried to deliver an outlet pass to Arenas, but Miller intercepted the ball and launched a shot from beyond the three-point line that bounced off the front of the rim, hit the back of the rim and rolled in to give the Nuggets a 60-50 lead.
"I heard Gilbert," Jamison said, "and I kind of saw Andre and I tried to get it over him. I was thinking, if I get it to [Arenas], good. If I don't [Miller] won't have enough time to get the shot off. He proved me wrong. I can't make mistakes like that. That basket really hurt."
Miller continued to hurt the Wizards in the third quarter, when he scored 11 points. He had two three-point plays, including a drive around Hughes on which Miller again got the benefit of a friendly roll. He added a short jumper to give the Nuggets a 79-67 lead with 4 minutes 7 seconds left in the third quarter.
Coach Eddie Jordan focused on the positive afterward. "If we can win Friday and Sunday," against New York and New Orleans, respectively, Jordan said, "and go 3-1 [on the homestand]. That's not bad for us."
