Finding Ways to Thrive
Down to Nine Healthy Players, Wizards Win Fourth in a Row: Wizards 92, Kings 79

By Ivan Carter
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 16, 2007

Lose a key player, win a basketball game.

It's a routine the Washington Wizards are familiar with and last night, they were at it again. They beat the Sacramento Kings, 92-79, in front of a sellout crowd at Verizon Center one day after learning that veteran guard Antonio Daniels is expected to miss two to four weeks with a right knee injury.

The Wizards (13-10) have won four straight games and are quickly becoming one of the more compelling stories in the NBA. Already without three-time all-star Gilbert Arenas, veteran center Etan Thomas and rookie forward Oleksiy Pecherov, the Wizards had nine players in uniform last night but won anyway, because everyone who did take the floor contributed.

For the sixth straight game, five Wizards scored in double figures, including guard DeShawn Stevenson -- who continued his strong play of late by scoring 19 points with seven assists. Rookie Nick Young started in place of Daniels but didn't have to do much on a night when Stevenson made 5 of 8 three-point shots.

In winning their fifth straight game over the Kings (9-14), the Wizards didn't even require big scoring nights from Caron Butler (12 points and eight assists) and Antawn Jamison (16 points and nine rebounds).

The Wizards led by 11 in the second quarter and carried a 52-51 edge into halftime before taking control in the third quarter with a 19-7 run. Roger Mason Jr. came off the bench to score 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting and the Wizards converted 19 Sacramento turnovers into 18 points.

Stevenson made three of his six three-pointers during the crucial third-quarter run.

"I'm really proud of this team," Coach Eddie Jordan said. "They keep their confidence up, they practice even though they know we have guys down, they keep their concentration level up and they're taking a serious approach to work. We just have a terrific will to win."

Before the game, Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said the team will likely sign a guard "in the next two or three days," which could give the Wizards another body before Wednesday night's game against Chicago at Verizon Center.

"We have some names on a short list and in all likelihood we'll bring someone in who we feel can help us," Grunfeld said. "We're not going to get someone from another team in a trade scenario. It's going to be a free agent type of player from the development league, CBA, someone who isn't currently on an NBA roster."

Among the guards the Wizards may consider is former Virginia Tech standout Brian Chase, who was on Washington's summer league team and went to camp with Miami before being released in October; Mike Wilks, who was released by Denver on Nov. 28; and former Wizard Billy Thomas, who is playing in the NBA Development League.

Another option would be to bring back Donell Taylor, who appeared in 98 games in two seasons with the Wizards. Taylor is under contract to a team in Greece but, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, he can get out of the contract.

The Wizards went into the regular season carrying 13 players, two fewer than the league maximum, because the team is less than $200,000 under the luxury tax threshold ($67.86 million). Teams that go over must pay a dollar-for-dollar tax, and following the season, that money is divided among the teams that stayed under.

It is possible that the Wizards could sign a player and not go over the tax threshold because contracts do not become guaranteed until Jan. 10. Free agents can be signed to 10-day contracts starting Jan. 5.

"We will do what we think is right for the team," Grunfeld said. "At this time, we are very short at the point guard position. We feel it is in the best interest of everyone to bring someone in to help us out."

Thomas is out indefinitely, Arenas doesn't expect to return to basketball-related activity for at least two months and Pecherov won't be cleared to practice for another two to three weeks, so the Wizards can ill-afford more injuries.

"It's a part of the game," Jordan said. "We just have to be ready to play with the guys we have."

When told of Grunfeld's intentions to add a player, Jordan smiled.

"That would be good," he said. "That would be real good."