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By MATT BECKER

Posted Jan 10 2012 12:34AM Although each NBA team is playing 16 fewer games this year because of the lockout, it's looking like it is going to be a long season for the Washington Wizards. Coming off yet another lopsided defeat, the Wizards again hope to get their first victory Tuesday night when they host the Toronto Raptors. Washington (0-8) is the NBA's lone winless team and it has rarely come close to victory, with half of its games decided by 18 or more points. The Wizards were again on the wrong end of a one-sided game Sunday, falling to Minnesota 93-72 to extend their franchise-worst start to a season. "It's a pride game now, to start this bad," John Wall said. "It's nothing but pride to see if you've got the heart to play." Coach Flip Saunders, however, doesn't feel like his players are showing much heart and preparing themselves properly. He said his coaches email extensive scouting reports to players the day before every game, but they're not studying them. Against the Timberwolves, the Wizards shot 34.5 percent - their lowest mark since Nov. 21, 2009, at San Antonio - and finished with their fewest points since Feb. 21, 2009, also against the Spurs. "There's really not much to say," Saunders said. "Disappointment. Embarrassment. I don't know if words can explain. My job over the next two days is to try to find five guys who can play the right way and can play with some heart. ... It was bad to watch. It was bad to coach. It was bad to play." The Wizards are averaging 84.9 points and 39.7 percent shooting, and again could have some trouble on the offensive end against the Raptors. Toronto (4-5) is second in the league in defensive field-goal percentage (39.4) and just limited the Timberwolves to 33.8 percent shooting in a 97-87 win on Monday. Wall has been in the middle of Washington's shooting woes. The No. 1 pick of the 2010 draft is second on the team in scoring at 14.4 points but shooting just 35.1 percent from the floor. As a rookie last season, he averaged 16.0 points on 35.9 percent shooting and 8.0 assists in three games against the Raptors. Washington split the four-game series with Toronto, winning both contests at home. Playing in front of the home crowd hasn't provided the Wizards with much of an advantage this season. They were booed during a 12-point fourth quarter on Sunday. "It's frustrating. It's sickening. Embarrassing," Andray Blatche said. "They booed us; we deserved it. I don't know what to say." The Raptors arrive in the nation's capital after opening their only back-to-back-to-back stretch of the season Monday. Amir Johnson had a season-high 19 points and 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double, but it was Andrea Bargnani who carried Toronto. Bargnani matched his season high with 31 points against Minnesota, and scored nine during a 12-6 run in third quarter that helped the Raptors open up a 10-point lead. The No. 1 pick of the 2006 draft averaged 25.5 points on 57.1 percent shooting in Toronto's wins over the Wizards last season and 18.5 points on 35.3 percent shooting in the losses.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Wizards beat Raptors 93-78 for first victory



Posted Jan 10 2012 11:14PM WASHINGTON (AP) The Washington Wizards won a game for the first time in nearly nine months, and did it with a reshaping of their front line. Coach Flip Saunders decided to bench forwards Andray Blatche and Rashard Lewis. He started rookie Chris Singleton and second-year player Trevor Booker in their place, and the revamped team beat the Toronto Raptors 93-78 on Tuesday night for its first victory after eight losses this season. Saunders said he had decided on Monday to change his lineup, but Blatche hurt his right shoulder and felt a twinge in his knee during practice. He wasn't sure Blatche would play until shortly before the game. Lewis, who missed Sunday's game with a sore right knee, entered the game along with Blatche with three minutes to go in the first half. Lewis and Nick Young led Washington with 15 points. "Oh, man. It felt real good. It was like a playoff game," Young said. "I felt like jumping in the stands." On Sunday, the Wizards scored their fewest points in nearly three years in 93-72 loss to Minnesota, and the fans booed them harshly. After they fell behind in the first quarter, the fans hooted again. "We got tired of being booed," Young said. After the boos, Blatche and Lewis came in, and Washington, which trailed 20-17 after the first quarter, outscored Toronto 29-14 in the second to lead by 12 at the half. Toronto briefly cut the lead to eight midway through the third quarter, but the Wizards opened up a 27-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Saunders said he talked before the game with owner Ted Leonsis, who counseled patience. "Don't listen to anything you hear," Leonsis told him. "We know what we've planned and what we've done, and how we're going about doing it, and at times it's going to look bad." The first eight games were horrible - the worst start in franchise history. Four of the losses were by 18 points or more. Blatche had nine points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes. "When we're playing like that, I don't have no problem doing that role," Blatche said. "We didn't just win. We actually played well." Washington had balanced scoring. Jordan Crawford had 11 points, JaVale McGee added 10. Blatche and Singleton had nine, Booker and John Wall had eight. "We had a good, solid performance from a lot of players," Saunders said. Wall tied his season high with nine assists, but missed nine of 12 shots. In his last two games, Wall is 6 for 21 from the field. Toronto, which was playing its second of three games in three nights, was led by Andrea Bargnani with 22 points. "Our disposition wasn't good coming out of the locker room to begin the game," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "We knew they were a hungry team, they were a wounded team. They were going to come out scratching and fighting and I didn't think we matched their fight." The Raptors, who scored just 62 points against Philadelphia on Saturday, threatened that mark again. After scoring 20 points in the first quarter, Toronto scored just 14 points in the second quarter and 18 in the third. The Raptors missed their first 14 3-point attempts and committed a season-high 23 turnovers. "You start turning the ball over and you can't recover from that and you can't get set up in your defense," Casey said. NOTES: Washington avoided becoming the sixth team since the 2002-03 season to lose its first nine games, according to STATS LLC. New Jersey lost a record 18 games to begin the 2009-10 season. ... Raptors F Jerryd Bayless missed his seventh consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. ... Blatche made his first 3-pointer of the season. ... Toronto, which beat Minnesota on Monday night, returns home to host Sacramento on Wednesday. The Wizards play two sets of three games in as many nights - from March 24-26 and April 4-6. ... Washington allowed its fewest points since Dec. 20, 2010.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited