Grizzlies Top Wizards, 112-107, to Spoil Haywood's Season Debut

MEMPHIS, April 1 -- Washington Wizards interim coach Ed Tapscott was packing and watching game film when he got a knock on the door of his hotel room late Wednesday afternoon. Tapscott looked at his watch, thinking that it was too early for the equipment manager to collect his luggage. Tapscott planned on telling him to come back later, until he opened the door to find center Brendan Haywood.

It's not unusual for Haywood and Tapscott to have pregame chats, but this time, Haywood told Tapscott that he wanted to play.

"First thing I asked him was, 'This isn't an April Fools' joke, is it?' " Tapscott recalled. The two laughed for a while before Haywood told him, "No."

Haywood made his unexpected season debut in the Wizards' 112-107 loss at a nearly empty FedEx Forum. After missing the entire preseason and the first 75 games of the season because of a torn ligament in his right wrist, Haywood came off the bench and had two points, two rebounds, three blocks and one steal in 24 minutes, playing an instrumental role in the Wizards' comeback from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit.

"I should've suited up and came back [to the locker room]. That would've been the best April Fools' joke ever," Haywood said after playing his first game since last year's first-round playoff series against Cleveland. "I figured if I'm practicing, I might as well play a little bit. I might play a couple more."

The Wizards had an opportunity to attempt a game-tying three-pointer with 3.6 seconds remaining, but the final sequence played out like a cruel joke: They never got off a shot as point guard Javaris Crittenton, a former Grizzly, had his entry pass stolen by Mike Conley, who made the game-clinching free throws and finished with 22 points.

"We had a few miscues. I told them, 'Don't think about the last play, think about all the miscues along the way,' " Tapscott said. "That's what ultimately cost us the game."

Gilbert Arenas, who made his season debut last Saturday against Detroit, considered playing against the Grizzles, but he decided to stick to his original plan to play the second end of back-to-back games against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night at Verizon Center. "Considering who he is, I think we owe it to our fans to let them see him if he's going on a back-to-back," Tapscott said of Arenas.

The Wizards have had two of their missing starters return in the past three games, but it has yet to result in any wins. But Haywood and Arenas may finally be on the floor together for the first time Thursday night against Cleveland or Saturday against Miami, putting the Wizards as close to full strength as they have been all season. Haywood was unsure about playing Thursday.

"As long as they're healthy. It would be nice to get them to get a couple of games in, get some of the cobwebs out. It's a luxury we haven't had all year," Antawn Jamison said after scoring 28 points with 10 rebounds.

Caron Butler led the Wizards with 31 points. In his first game back in Memphis since the Grizzlies traded him to Washington as part of a three-team trade in December, Crittenton finished with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Haywood injured himself in training camp when he blocked a shot by rookie JaVale McGee. After having surgery last October, Haywood never intimated that he would return this season. Even after he was cleared to practice last month, Haywood emphasized that he would be cautious and needed practice time. But the reality was, with only seven games left, there was little time for practice the rest of the season.

Haywood entered the game for Andray Blatche with 2 minutes 3 seconds left in the first quarter. He got his first rebound to start the second quarter, then he missed his first shot attempt, coming up short on a jump hook over Darko Milicic. Milicic then beat him back to get an uncontested layup on the other end.

Haywood looked winded at times, but he kept the Grizzlies from attacking the paint with his interior presence. He also held Marc Gasol scoreless in the fourth quarter after Gasol scored 18 points in the first three quarters.

"I said to people all along how big a hole he presented to us all year long and I think you saw some of that. His presence on the floor makes a difference," Tapscott said.