The Wizards, along with having to deal with a boatload of

Twenty days into the season and the Wizards have played just seven

"We have to play games," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "We

Following a 106-81 loss at Orlando the Wizards had to wait four

Before the game, coach Eddie Jordan said of his Washington Wizards: "We don't have rhythm, we don't have harmony, we're trying to incorporate chemistry." The Miami Heat seem to have the makings of all three, even though they're starting two rookies on a team that last year went 15-67. The Heat beat the Wizards on Tuesday night for the second time in five days.

Whenever possible, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra reminds his team that defense and rebounding have long been cornerstones of the Heat philosophy. Those players are listening. Dwyane Wade scored 24 points before taking the fourth quarter off, the Heat held Washington without a field goal for 9 minutes in the second half and outrebounded the bigger Wizards by a huge margin on the way to an easy 97-77...

This was, remember, Game 6 of 82, an early step in a long journey. Yet there was Caron Butler, near center court, animatedly pulling off his jersey and waving it at the final horn, celebrating a victory as though it truly meant a lot to him. Moments earlier, as Butler and fellow All-Star Antawn Jamison were combining for 20 fourth-quarter points, there were their Washington Wizards teammates, up...

Maybe it's because they know they made the playoffs after an 0-5 start last season. Maybe it's because they know they have two past All-Stars in the starting lineup and figure a third, Gilbert Arenas, eventually will return. Maybe it's because they know they can't possibly continue to lose and lose and lose, over and over and over again.

Dwight Howard certainly got Stan Van Gundy's attention. Howard had a season-high 31 points and 16 rebounds and also blocked three shots and had three assists to help the Orlando Magic win their fourth straight game, 106-81 over the winless Washington Wizards on Saturday night. "I've seen him have numbers like that before, but I'm not sure he's played a better game since I've been here," said Van...

The winning New York Knicks are having a ball running up and down the floor. The winless Washington Wizards might need an overhaul of three-fifths of their starting lineup. Jamal Crawford led new coach Mike D'Antoni's never-take-a-breath attack with 23 points, and the Knicks spread the wealth with five players in double figures and 51 percent shooting Friday night in a 114-108 victory over the...