02-02-2016, 12:47 PM
WASHINGTON -- The first three times the Washington Wizards reached .500, they lost their next game. On Wednesday against Boston, the Wizards get their fourth shot at the break-even point, and they hope its the last time. "Its not a magical thing (where) I think all of a sudden fairy dust is going to fall on us if we get over .500 (and) were not going to lose another game," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. The Wizards havent been over .500 since Oct. 31, 2009, when they were 2-1. After their 107-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, they were in no mood to admit that it was always on their mind. Players shouted to each other to ignore questions about the mark, but none did. "Were aware of it, but we just have to not even think about it," Bradley Beal said. Beal nearly had his first career triple-double. Two days after he missed 12 of his 14 shots in a loss to Detroit, Beal had 22 points -- 13 of them in the second quarter when Washington built a 10-point halftime lead. He also had nine rebounds, a season high, and eight assists, equaling his career best. Marcin Gortat had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Seraphin had 16 points for Washington. John Wall added 14. Each time the Wizards reached .500 this season, their next game was at home, and they lost to Milwaukee, Dallas and Detroit. "Were done with that," Gortat said. "Every time we talk about being a .500 team and getting over .500, we have teams coming in here and just punking our butts." Michael Carter-Williams led Philadelphia, which has lost seven of eight, with 31. Thaddeus Young had 18. Spencer Hawes had 11 points and had a season high 16 rebounds. Carter-Williams and Young scored the first 19 Philadelphia points in the third, but the Sixers trailed 70-66 midway through the period. Washington led 86-73 after three. The Wizards were ahead 100-79 with 6:07 to play, but Philadelphia scored 13 straight to trail by eight with 2:26 left. Washington didnt make a field goal for more than eight minutes in the fourth quarter. Wittman substituted for his starters, but after the bench played poorly, the starters came back in to stabilize things. "Youre always on audition," Wittman told his bench. "Those guys got to learn. Guys that want to play or think they should be in rotations better show me out there where it counts." While the Wizards are 20-20 and hope to reach the halfway point of their season a game over .500, the Sixers are 13-28. Expectations were low when the season began, but Philadelphia won its first three over Miami, Washington and Chicago. With more than three weeks until the league pauses for the All-Star game, coach Brett Brown is still hopeful his team can improve. "Youre getting ready for spring break, and everybodys going to Fort Lauderdale, and theres a time where you can dig in pre-All-Star break and finish this middle third of the season with some grunt," Brown said before the game. In his rookie season, Carter-Williams said it was hard to sometimes stay with it. "Ive never played this long of a season so Im learning each and every day and Im going through it a little bit. My body is tired a little bit, mentally Ive got to stay strong," Carter-Williams said. Carter-Williams was 13 for 22 from the field, had six rebounds and five assists as he tried to keep Philadelphia competitive. "He felt the need to take the game and try and put us back in a position where we could inch our way back in it, and he did," Brown said. NOTES: Wizards swingman Glen Rice was assigned to Iowa of the D-League. Rice had right wrist surgery last month, and coach Randy Wittman said that he needs some playing time and could return to the team during its upcoming four-game road trip, which begins on Friday. ... Sixers G Tony Wroten is out with a sprained right ankle. Brown refused to estimate how long he will be sidelined. Wroten sustained the injury on Saturday in Chicago. ... Philadelphia F Brandon Davies missed the game with a dislocated right pinkie. ... Washington F Trevor Booker was out with a sprained left ankle. ... Adam Silver, who will succeed David Stern as NBA commissioner next month, sat with Wizards owner Ted Leonsis. Curtis Martin Jersey .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Leonard Williams Womens Jersey .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. http://www.thejetsjerseyslockroom.com/AU...TS-JERSEY/ . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Jeff Cumberland Jersey . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Breno Giacomini Jets Jersey . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action.ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder says respect goes both ways when it comes to the debate over the teams nickname. The man who ultimately gets to decide whether the name stays or goes offered his thoughts on the matter Tuesday in a letter to season-ticket holders, the first time he has addressed at length the change-the-name campaign that has picked up momentum this year. The tone of the letter suggests that no change is under consideration. "Ive listened carefully to the commentary and perspectives on all sides, and I respect the feelings of those who are offended by the team name," the letter states. "But I hope such individuals also try to respect what the name means, not only for all of us in the extended Washington Redskins family, but among Native Americans too." The letter recalls Snyders experience when he attended his first Redskins game at age 6 and cites polls and anecdotal evidence that indicate support for the name from Native Americans. It states that the original Boston Redskins had a Native American coach before the franchise relocated to Washington, even though research shows that it is unclear whether William "Lone Star" Dietz was an actual Indian or whether he stole the identity of a missing man from the Oglala Sioux tribe. "The name was never a label," Snyders letter states. "It was, and continues to be, a badge of honour." While there have been groups calling for a name change for decades, a series of events this year has put the Redskins on the defensive like never before. Snyder has hired Lanny Davis, an adviser in the Clinton Whiite House who specializes in managing political crises, as an adviser on the matter.dddddddddddd The letter released Tuesday shows more sensitivity than the owners last on-the-record comment on the topic, when he told USA Today in May: "Well never change the name. Its that simple. NEVER -- you can use caps." In recent months, local leaders in Washington and some members of Congress have called for a name change, and some media outlets have stopped using the name. It is also the subject of a long-running legal challenge from a group of American Indians seeking to block the teams federal trademark protection. Last week, President Barack Obama told The Associated Press that he would "think about changing" the name if he owned the team. This week, the NFL said it will meet with an Indian tribe that has been pushing for a change, and Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that the league needs to "carefully listen" to critics of the name and "make sure were doing whats right." Goodell has said that it is ultimately Snyders call as to whether the name will be changed. For now, it appears the owner is not budging. "I respect the opinions of those who disagree. I want them to know that I do hear them, and I will continue to listen and learn," the letter states. "But we cannot ignore our 81 year history, or the strong feelings of most of our fans as well as Native Americans throughout the country. After 81 years, the team name Redskins continues to hold the memories and meaning of where we came from, who we are, and who we want to be in the years to come." cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys Ray Ban Outlet Michael Kors Outlet Michael Kors Sale Cheap Michael Kors ' ' '