The Wizards fell behind by double figures in the first quarter and lost in Toronto 119-109. The loss ended the Wizards three game winning streak and dropped their overall record to 27-18.

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Gilbert Arenas (27 points) and Caron Butler (21 points) paced the Wizards, who were without the services of Antawn Jamison (sprained left knee), who remained in Washington and is scheduled to undergo an MRI Thursday.

“It was the same situation that happened the last time that we played Toronto, same type of game, same type of situation,” said Butler. “They are a different team to play against, they have five guys that can really shoot the ball, that kind of reminds you of Phoenix.”

Antonio Daniels (14 points) and Jarvis Hayes (13 points) led the Washington reserves in scoring. Calvin Booth started in place of Jamison at forward.

“We are searching - Searching for that person to step in that position,” said Head Coach Eddie Jordan. “I thought Calvin did a good job but you know Calvin’s (Booth) limited. Andray (Blatche) did okay defensively, didn’t make too many plays offensively and Jarvis made some shots but Jarvis and Caron were very small, so we’re searching.”

Note: The loss kept Head Coach Eddie Jordan from making travel arrangements to Las Vegas, at least for the night. Chicago’s loss in LAC dropped Scott Skiles out of the running. Eyes are now on the Cavaliers, who, in combination with a Wizards loss Saturday, must win all three of their next games to send Cleveland Head Coach Mike Brown to Vegas.

By Shaun Fletcher

The Wizards once again will need to dust off their passports as they travel to Air Canada Centre tonight to square-off against the always dangerous Toronto Raptors. Lest we not be fooled by the Toronto Raptors 22-23 record on the season - the Raptors are still tied for the lead in the Atlantic Division and are looking to extend their home winning streak to four games.

And, do I need to mention that Chris Bosh is turning into a bona fide superstar and will be introduced as a starter later this month alongside Gilbert at the All-Star game? Nah, you already knew that right? But, I’d be willing to bet you didn’t know that the Raptors are an impressive 10-2 at home against Eastern Conference teams this season. Now be honest, who really knew that?!

A telling statistic coming into tonight’s game is that the Wizards are 18-3 when leading games at the half this season, while Toronto has a similar record of 18-8 when leading at the break. Both teams have not had much success and are sub-.500 in games when trailing at the half.

This game may come down to who can get off to the fastest start. The last time the Wizards faced the Raptors they dropped the game 116-111 back in January. Caron Butler had this to say about the performance of Chris Bosh the last time they played, “Chris Bosh is a handful…he’s got potential for greatness. He’s a mismatch every night.” Having missed 12 games this season, Bosh is still hovering around the top of the league in points per game (22.3), rebounds (10.9), and double-doubles (20) at his position. The x-factor may be the combined play of Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood in slowing down Bosh.

The last time the two teams met up in Toronto, many Raptors players attributed the win to it being one of the few times the team was at full strength. Well, that won’t be the case tonight folks, as long as T.J. Ford is sidelined with an ankle injury that has caused him to miss the teams last four contests. I’m sure the Wizards can feel their pain however, considering that the Wizards will also be without 1/3 of the vaunted “Big Three” due to the knee injury suffered by Antwan Jamison in last nights win over Detroit.

As for Jamison’s replacement, it’s possible that Calvin Booth could take his spot in the lineup tonight after playing some big minutes in last night’s win. Jarvis Hayes is also a possible candidate.

The Wizards won’t again face the Raptors for a while until they play for the last time this season at the Verizon Center in March. Clearly, a lot of different scenarios may factor into who comes out on top in tonight’s contest. Sounds like an amateur-analysts dream! Who said dreams don’t come true?! Have at it…

The NBA’s cut-off date of to determine the All-Star Game’s Eastern Conference Head Coach is this Sunday, February 4th. Eddie Jordan could be named that coach as early as tonight when Washington visits Toronto - one more win would guarantee that the Wizards will have a better record than both Chicago and Cleveland through Sunday’s games.

In fact, the only way for Eddie to not make the trip to Vegas is if the Wizards lose both their games and if Chicago or Cleveland win all three of their contests.

NEXT GAMES:
Wizards: at TOR, vs LAL
Cavaliers: at MIA, vs CHA, vs DET
Bulls: at LAC, at SEA, at POR

The Wizards held on in the final minutes for a 104-99 win over the Pistons Tuesday night at Verizon Center. Gilbert Arenas paced the squad with 36 points and 11 assists. DeShawn Stevenson added 15 points (7-8 FG). It wasn’t all smiles after the game, though. Antawn Jamison left the game in the first quarter after suffering a sprained left knee.

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“We said post defense was going to be a big factor,” said Eddie Jordan. “Brendan (Haywood) started the game off very well against Rasheed (Wallace) and Calvin (Booth) came in when Antawn (Jamison) went down and he was absolutely great. Those two guys anchored the middle for us. Etan (Thomas) came in with his physical play and got us some buckets. We just gutted it out again.”

Washington has now won three straight games and seven of their last eight. The team remains on top of the Eastern Conference with a 27-17 record. The last time the Wizards were the Conference’s top seed this late in the season was at the conclusion of the 1978-79 season.

“During this streak, we just dug down in the fourth quarter to get some quality wins,” said Jordan. “We are just playing with a lot of confidence right now, but it is very early and there are a lot of games left to be played. There are a number of teams fighting for position and it should be very competitive and a great challenge for us during the second half of the season.”

Next up for the Wizards: The Raptors tomorrow night. Jamison will not travel with the team to Toronto and is scheduled to undergo an MRI Thursday.

“Antawn is a key part of our team,” said Caron Butler (13 points, 5 rebounds). “He is the captain. If he is going to miss an extended period of time guys like Calvin Booth and Andray Blatche will have the opportunity to step up and make plays to help us keep this streak going.”

By Shaun Fletcher

MORE: What You Need To Know
AUDIO: Dave Johnson’s Pre-Game Report

The Wizards will be at home Tuesday night to face a tough Eastern Conference match-up against the all-too-familiar Detroit Pistons.

Following last Friday’s 99-96 win in the motor city, Coach Eddie Jordan compared the game to a heavyweight prize fight, saying, “We took a Joe Frazier left hook, and we got right up. I know they are going to be ready for a rematch.” — Ding! Ding! – Well fight fans, three rounds are in the books and the bell is getting ready to sound to begin a fourth.

Tuesday night’s game will see the Wizards looking to even the season series at two games apiece. The last time these two teams squared off at the Verizon Center was back in November, with the Pistons winning a high scoring shootout 115-111. In that game, five Pistons scored in double figures, including Chauncey Billups with a game-high 29 points.

The Wizards squeaked out a tough win against the Pistons last time they met, but will need to have an even stronger showing on Tuesday night to pull off two wins against the Pistons in as many weeks. The “Big Three” didn’t collectively have their typical offensive output on Friday night, but the huge play of Antawn Jamison really boosted the Wizards during crucial stretches of the game.

The Pistons will almost certainly be looking to patch up the holes in their defense that allowed Antawn to drop 35 points on them in front of their home crowd, while the Wizards will try to defend their home court against a Piston’s team that is looking to gel with a revitalized Chris Webber just in time to make a mid-season playoff push.

Tuesday evening’s game will be the last time these two teams will face off during the regular season. A possible playoff preview? Perhaps… A fun game to watch? Definitely!