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WASHINGTON -- A slow start to the season turned into Washingtons best November in 29 years. Bastian Schweinsteiger Shirt . John Wall had 26 points and 12 assists, Trevor Ariza scored 24 points and made five 3-pointers, and the Wizards beat the Atlanta Hawks 108-101 on Saturday night. The Wizards lost their first three games and seven of their first nine, but have now won six of their last eight. They won eight games in November for the first time since 1984. "This was a good month for us. It was a tough start to the month, to the season. We didnt want to get the start we had, but it happened," coach Randy Wittman said. Washington has played the last four games without starting guard Bradley Beal, hasnt had first-round draft choice Otto Porter at all, and still managed to nearly break even. Their 8-9 record isnt what they want it to be, but still makes the Wizards one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. With the Hawks loss, there are just two teams in the conference with winning records. "I really dont want to look at it like that. I want to see how good we can be, but if you look at the conference, a lot of teams are kind of in the middle right now. Were trying to find ourselves as a team, trying to put it together. Hopefully we can get it going. I think we will," Atlanta centre Al Horford said. Martell Webster added 19 points for Washington and also had five 3-pointers. Nene, who returned after missing Fridays game at Indiana with a right Achilles tendon injury, had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Paul Millsap had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Atlanta, which cut an 18-point, third-quarter deficit to 81-79 with 9:42 left, but could not get closer. Horford added 16 points and Jeff Teague had 15 for the Hawks. Ariza scored eight points in the final 9:20 to help secure the win. "Were showing growth. Were showing maturity. I feel were ready to take the next step and become a playoff team," Ariza said. Washington got some of its roughest road games out of the way, losing to Oklahoma City, Dallas and San Antonio in a rough three-game trip. The Wizards also lost to Miami and Indiana on the road. "It wasnt the easiest schedule to start with. I think it might be a positive in the long run playing against some top quality teams on the road early in the season," Wittman said. Washington took the lead early in the first quarter and led 28-20 after one. Thanks to two 3-pointers late in the second quarter by Webster, the Wizards led 54-44 at halftime. Washington hit on five of its first six shots in the third quarter to take a 66-48 lead with 8:12 to play. The Hawks answered with an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 66-59 with 4:20 to play, and Washington led 79-70 after three. Wall had his first three games of 30-plus points from Nov. 22-26. He followed it with a 19-point performance on Wednesday at Milwaukee, but had a bad night against the Pacers on Friday, shooting just 4 for 14. Saturday night was much better. "When were healthy, I feel we can compete with anybody," Wall said. "We didnt panic because we knew what kind of team we had. We have a team thats capable of being in the playoffs," Wall said. NOTES: Atlanta G Kyle Korver missed his third straight game with a bruised rib. . G Lou Williams didnt play because Budenholzer has chosen not to use him in back-to-back games as he recovers from ACL surgery. . The Hawks next game is on Tuesday at San Antonio, where Budenholzer spent nearly 20 years as a video co-ordinator and assistant coach. "Im not allowed to look ahead. Youve allowed to ask, but I cant look ahead," Budenholzer said. "Tomorrow or the next day I can think about that, but right now Im thinking about Washington." . F Al Harrington missed his ninth straight game with a right knee injury. . Wittman and Budenholzer were each assessed a technical foul in the second quarter for arguing a foul call. Rafinha fc bayern munich jersey . As the lowest-ranked of nine unseeded European qualifiers, France was expected to go in the Africa-dominated draw pot — meaning it could not be placed in the same group as a top-seeded European team. Bastian Schweinsteiger Jersey . Amid lusty boos from a modest crowd on a rainy, 46-degree night, Cano began his first game in the Bronx since joining Seattle this winter for $240 million with a wink -- at Yankees starter CC Sabathia (3-3).TORONTO - At the ripe old age of 26, Amir Johnson - the teams second-most experienced player - is one of only two Raptors starters that can give a firsthand account of what it will be like to compete in the postseason. "All he says is, its crazy," DeMar DeRozan told reporters following Torontos win over the Pistons Wednesday. The Raptors longest-serving members, Johnson and DeRozan have had two coaches and 56 different teammates in five seasons with the club, all without appearing in a single playoff game. Before becoming a fixture in Toronto, Johnson logged 56 minutes in 11 postseason contests spanning over two seasons with the Pistons. At the time, the forward was primarily a spectator, mentored by the likes of Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Antonio McDyess. Johnson is a man of few words but hes shared a couple with DeRozan, who is poised to make his playoff debut next month. "Amir says one word and you really just have to go off that one word, how he explains something," said the Raptors all-star guard. "Everything is crazy to him. So, he always says its crazy." "Its crazy, D," Johnson interjected from his locker on the far side of the room. "See, so its crazy," DeRozan continued. "Playoffs are going to be crazy." Up until this season, DeRozan and Johnson had endured 190 losses to just 119 wins in Raptors red. They havent played in a meaningful late-season game since their first year with the team, Chris Boshs last. Their bond is a unique one, as you might expect, having experienced the trials and tribulations of the Raptors four-year playoff drought together. "Thats my dog, man," DeRozan said of Johnson, both hail from the state of California. "Amirs known me [since] I was running around with the same pair of dirty shoes on playing basketball. We always used to look up to Amir, especially in LA. He was a big star and everything. Its definitely cool just to be here with him." "People dont know, Amirs my cousin,&qquot; he said with a smirk, jokingly, we think. Robert Lewandowski Jersey. "You can ask Amir." So we did. "Oh man, I dont know," he responded, this was news to him. "I have no idea. Somewhere down the line, I guess. I guess were cousins, I dont know. Ive got to talk to his mom, talk to my mom and see." DeRozan, the Raptors leading scorer, is enjoying a career year but the playoffs - as coach Dwane Casey has cautioned - are a different animal. The atmosphere is intensified, the competition more fierce, scoring opportunities are harder to come by, weaknesses are magnified and in a seven-game series the oppositions scouting report will undoubtedly feature DeRozan. Theres been a steep playoff learning curve for Raptors stars of the past. Bosh, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady each shot under 40 per cent from the field in their first postseason series. Making his playoff debut as a 23-year-old in 2000, Carter shot just 30 per cent, turning the ball over nearly three times per contest in a three-game sweep to the Knicks. Even with that in mind, DeRozan believes hes more prepared than most. While many players on losing teams find it far too maddening to watch their peers compete for a title in April and May, the Raptors guard has done just that each year hes missed out, making notes and using them for motivation. "I had to [watch]," he admitted, "just to understand, to see how it was. Youre playing the same team, possibly seven times. Just to understand that and see the different schemes out there and try to really get a knowledge of how its played." "Thats why I work so hard. It always bugged me going home early, just sitting there, doing nothing. It used to make me so hungry. Ive got a lot of friends that play in the playoffs and Ive always got to hear them all summer talk about their experience in the playoffs. Its always pushing me even further. I just want to get there, not even for myself, just for this organization as well. It definitely feels good that were moving in the right direction now." ' ' ' |
