The Washington Wizards get another chance end their 23-game road losing streak, this time on Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks. As promised on my first day in this space, this exercise in futility will be the story line until Washington wins one away from home. Sorry ...
Hopefully, the Wizards got some rest on Sunday because they looked dead in the second half of a 107-93 loss to Memphis on Saturday night. If that game was about trying to carry over momentum from a double overtime battle in Oklahoma City, this matchup will test the Wizards ability to pick themselves off the floor.
The losses have been piling up for a while, but it seems now the frustration might be, too. Nick Young questioned the play-calling after scoring eight points on 2-of-9 shooting Saturday. He and coach Flip Saunders have since talked about that concern.
On the defensive end, the Wizards will have to do a better job against the Mavericks' frontline than they were able to do against the bigs from Memphis -- especially with Dirk Nowitzki back on track (19 points, 8 for 11 FG against the Hawks) following his rusty return from an ankle injury. Zach Randolph savaged the Wizards for 24 points and 20 rebounds en route to winning player of the week honors in the Western Conference.
The good news: Wizards play-by-play man Steve Buckhantz has a good feeling about this one. Following Saturday's loss he ended the broadcast by saying, "I'm not worried about Dallas." This is because Dallas -- as Michael Lee pointed out -- is the scene of the Wizards last win on the road, a 97-94 win delivered by Lester Hudson's game-winner.
Can history repeat itself in the regular season?