Game Thread - Washington Wizards at Los Angeles Lakers.

[JWizmentality]

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2010
Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA
10:30pm EST
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The Wizards will get two more opportunities on their West Coast road trip to end their worst-ever (0-10) road start. Check that -- realistically, they have only one.

After losing at Phoenix on Sunday night, they are off until playing back-to-back games at the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers (Tuesday) and Sacramento (Wednesday).

"You've got to start winning on the road sooner or later," rookie guard Johns Wall said. "You've got half games at home, half on the road. We don't want to go 0-41 on the road."

Nobody thinks the Wizards will reach the all-time record for road futility to start the season, 29 straight road losses, set by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1992-93 season. But lost on no one is the fact that stretches like this can doom a season before it ever has a chance to get started.

"It's time for us to go on this road trip and definitely get a win," Andray Blatche said. "It's time for us to step up, each one of us individually, not offensively, but defensively and vocally and stay together at this time on the road, because we need to. We got to have everybody's back and get this losing streak out of the way."

SUNS 125, WIZARDS 108: The Wizards once again showed no ability or desire to stop anyone as they dropped the first of three road games in four nights. Andray Blatche led the Wizards with 24 points, Nick Young added 20 and Gilbert Arenas had 13. Adding insult to injury, the Wizards actually led by 10 points at one point in the game.

Wizards' Report

In the Lakers' ideal world, their drive toward a third consecutive NBA championship will get some pleasant surprises.

No one is really expecting two rookie second-round picks -- Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter -- to do much more than help out in practice and run errands. But Ebanks and Caracter have shown flashes at times in training camp and in the early season.

Both rookies, who have become good friends, set career highs in scoring Friday night as the Lakers broke a four-game losing streak by beating Sacramento. Ebanks, a small forward, had nine points and Caracter, a power forward, had 10; they combined to shoot 9-for-12 from the field.

It was especially sweet for Caracter, who has been pushed into the rotation with neither Andrew Bynum nor Theo Ratliff available because of knee surgeries. Caracter has struggled recently when the team has needed him most, making mental mistakes and being slow in reaction.

But on Friday night, No. 58 overall pick Caracter had 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks. Sacramento's No. 5 overall pick, DeMarcus Cousins, had nine points, six rebounds and no blocks.

LAKERS 113, KINGS 80: The Lakers took out their frustrations from losing the previous four games by limiting Sacramento to fewer than 20 points in each of the first three quarters. Entering the fourth quarter, the Lakers led, 82-52.

Lakers' Report
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JOSH HOWARD

ACL Surgery - Day to day.

ANDREW BYNUM

Right knee surgery - Expected back late December.

THEO RATLIFF

Left knee surgery - Expected back mid-December.
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MONDAY PRACTICE INTERVIEWS


DRAY MAKES TECH DISAPPEAR!!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7iW_qM6v2w[/youtube]
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GOOD JUJU

REALLY GOOD JUJU

MIGHTY GOOD JUJU
EPIC JUJU!!
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[dandridge 10]

I got this one.

Who can't wait to see Hiney on Kobe? This is going to be EPIC!

....BEATDOWN.

[Halcyon]

This is going to be a bloodbath. At least Nick Young usually shows up big against Kobe, that should be fun at least...

[20MexicanosIn1Van]

John Wall dunks on Kobe, Gilbert goes for 60, and Nick Young shows Kobe who the real king of Cali is and drops 82. However, Lakers win on a fade away three pointer from Ron Artest.

[dlts20]

My prediction is we will have scored a total of 6pts with 6min left in the 1st until we insert Gil while NY wont come in the game until 3min have passed in the 2nd

[pineappleheadindc]

Stickied.

Good luck JWiz. Take us on a long run.

Hell, just get us off of the road winless streak.

[Wizards2Lottery]

This game will be a blowout from the start if the putrid starting lineup of Wall-Hinrich-Gee is thrown out there. I don't know what kind of an idiot came up with this starting lineup. Absolutely zero perimeter scoring in half court sets with these three. Either start Young in place of Gee or start Gilbert in place of Hinrich.

[closg00]

I'll be reading the box score in the morning. I hope the Lakers rest their starters early during the blood-bath.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Yawn. This one won't be competitive.

[LyricalRico]

John Wall dunks on Kobe, Gilbert goes for 60, and Nick Young shows Kobe who the real king of Cali is and drops 82. However, Lakers win on a fade away three pointer from Ron Artest.

Actually, it's probably going to be inside where the Wiz get killed. McGee will get into foul trouble, Blatche will try to out-dribble Odom and fail, and Artest will bully us on the glass. I'd actually like to see Booker and Seraphin get minutes early to just throw their bodies at people and wear LA down a bit.

One advantage is that there's no way Fisher can keep up with Wall. I also think Thornton can matchup well against Artest if Flip gives him the chance. Maybe try Gee and his athleticism at SG against Shannon brown?

[tontoz]

On the subject of the starting lineup i think it is time for the Gee Era to end. He was just waived by another team two weeks ago. I am not seeing the logic of starting him over Thornton. Thornton is the only legit 3 they have right now.

[LyricalRico]

On the subject of the starting lineup i think it is time for the Gee Era to end. He was just waived by another team two weeks ago. I am not seeing the logic of starting him over Thornton. Thornton is the only legit 3 they have right now.

Agreed. In fact, Gee starting is even more baffling than Hinrich IMO. At least Captain Kirk was here all offseason. But somehow Gee is a Flip fave, so he gets to start even though he doesn't produce.

[dobrojim]

John Wall dunks on Kobe, Gilbert goes for 60, and Nick Young shows Kobe who the real king of Cali is and drops 82. However, Lakers win on a fade away three pointer from Ron Artest.

Actually, it's probably going to be inside where the Wiz get killed. McGee will get into foul trouble, Blatche will try to out-dribble Odom and fail, and Artest will bully us on the glass. I'd actually like to see Booker and Seraphin get minutes early to just throw their bodies at people and wear LA down a bit.

One advantage is that there's no way Fisher can keep up with Wall. I also think Thornton can matchup well against Artest if Flip gives him the chance. Maybe try Gee and his athleticism at SG against Shannon brown?

you clearly weren't watching the playoffs last year when Fish used his
'veteran savvy' getting away with murder generally speaking to help
LA get their latest banner. Gimme a nickel for every time Fish holds
Wall and it isn't called and I'll retire on Wed morning.

[MJG]

On the subject of the starting lineup i think it is time for the Gee Era to end. He was just waived by another team two weeks ago. I am not seeing the logic of starting him over Thornton. Thornton is the only legit 3 they have right now.

What does starting Thornton do for us? He's a bad player. I'm not sure what he does better than Gee, outside of scoring points, via taking more shots.

I'd say if you're not a fan of Gee, then Martin would be the next choice to have a crack at the starting SF spot.

[tontoz]

On the subject of the starting lineup i think it is time for the Gee Era to end. He was just waived by another team two weeks ago. I am not seeing the logic of starting him over Thornton. Thornton is the only legit 3 they have right now.

What does starting Thornton do for us? He's a bad player. I'm not sure what he does better than Gee, outside of scoring points, via taking more shots.

I'd say if you're not a fan of Gee, then Martin would be the next choice to have a crack at the starting SF spot.

Thornton can actually create his own shot off the dribble. He has 3 20 point games so far this year, in each case shooting over 50% from the field. Plus he can play D.

I think Gee would struggle to score 20 in an empty gym. Don't get me wrong he was a nice pickup and can be useful as an energy guy off the bench but that's all.

[hands11]

On the subject of the starting lineup i think it is time for the Gee Era to end. He was just waived by another team two weeks ago. I am not seeing the logic of starting him over Thornton. Thornton is the only legit 3 they have right now.

Looks like from that recent realgm article that Gil will likely be starting soon.

Gil looks healthy n ready to exert himself. He has enough games under his belt
To show his body can handle the minutes

I wouldn't be surprised if he n AT start this one.

[dlts20]

On the subject of the starting lineup i think it is time for the Gee Era to end. He was just waived by another team two weeks ago. I am not seeing the logic of starting him over Thornton. Thornton is the only legit 3 they have right now.

Looks like from that recent realgm article that Gil will likely be starting soon.

Gil looks healthy n ready to exert himself. He has enough games under his belt
To show his body can handle the minutes

I wouldn't be surprised if he n AT start this one.

what article and are you sure thats what it said?

[dobrojim]

I would predict an epic beatdown except then it would have
to be much worse than what the top tier teams have already
done to us this year. Epic becomes more difficult to surpass
as the futility continues.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

On the subject of the starting lineup i think it is time for the Gee Era to end. He was just waived by another team two weeks ago. I am not seeing the logic of starting him over Thornton. Thornton is the only legit 3 they have right now.

What does starting Thornton do for us? He's a bad player. I'm not sure what he does better than Gee, outside of scoring points, via taking more shots.

I'd say if you're not a fan of Gee, then Martin would be the next choice to have a crack at the starting SF spot.

I'm a Martin fan. Until/if Howard gets back, a wall/arenas/Martin/blatche/mcgee lineup is the best we've got. Cartier is not a great player, but he spaces the floor, knocks em down when he's open and battles a little on d.

Make noodles the sixth man for either of the guard positions, choose between thorton and gee to sub in at the three... Hilton, yi, Booker and seraphin rotating in short stints to give up some fouls and Hiney as the fourth guard playing about 17 minutes a game and you have a reasonable team, capable of challenging for the 7th or 8th spot.

That's what's been so infuriating. We are not that talented... But if the players were I'm the right spots... We'd be a heck of a lot better than we are now.

Or maybe Flip is in early tank mode.

[Wizards2Lottery]

On the subject of the starting lineup i think it is time for the Gee Era to end. He was just waived by another team two weeks ago. I am not seeing the logic of starting him over Thornton. Thornton is the only legit 3 they have right now.

What does starting Thornton do for us? He's a bad player. I'm not sure what he does better than Gee, outside of scoring points, via taking more shots.

I'd say if you're not a fan of Gee, then Martin would be the next choice to have a crack at the starting SF spot.

Tontoz guy doesn't really follow the Wizards. He's a Hawks fan so forgive him.

Al Thornton is indeed a bad player. Besides decent defense every now and then, his offensive game is real shaky. He's hot one game and for the next few can't hit the ocean if he wanted to. Gee at least brings a high amount of energy every game. Plus he showed last year that he has potential to be a decent spot up shooter. They should continue working with him on his outside shot and he could eventually become a really good hustle/spot up shooter kind of a player.