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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Washington Wizards played like the
early-season Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers played like the
early-season Wizards.
The Cavaliers even threw in a futile fourth-quarter rally, just
as the Wizards often did during their worst start in franchise
history. But the rally fell short, and the Wizards rode a newfound
confidence to Monday night's 95-89 victory, their fifth straight.
|  | | Juwan Howard dunks for two of his 24 points in the Wizards' fifth win in a row, their longest streak since 1997. |
"We're not going to be satisfied as a team winning five games
in a row," point guard Chris Whitney said. "Twenty-five may be a
different story."
Juwan Howard scored 24 points as the Wizards now have their
longest winning streak since a six-game spurt shortly after the MCI
Center opened in December 1997.
Jim Jackson had 14 points to lead six players in double figures
for the Cavaliers, who are 4-15 after a 15-7 start. Coach Randy
Wittman didn't emerge from the locker room until 26 minutes after
the game, having addressed his team over another
going-through-the-motions performance.
"It was almost a carbon copy of last game," Wittman said.
"They were ready to come out tonight, and we weren't in terms of
our effort and intensity. And that dug us a hole that we weren't
able to overcome.
"This team, from training camp on, was built with energy,
effort and enthusiasm, and we've got to get that ingredient back.
Tired, sickness, injuries -- we can't conform to that. If we are
tired and beat up, you've got to play shorter minutes. We've got
guys out there pacing themselves, and we're not good enough to do
that."
Chris Mihm returned after missing 10 games with a knee injury,
Chris Gatling came back after straining a quad muscle in the
previous game, and Chucky Brown even played two minutes on the same
day he joined the team on a 10-day contract. But nothing seemed to
make much of a difference until the fourth-quarter rally.
The Cavaliers trailed by 18 after the third quarter, but cut
their deficit on 3-pointers by Gatling and Trajan Langdon and a
free throw that made the score 92-87 with 55 seconds remaining.
But the Wizards went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the
final minute, and Langdon's airball 3-point attempt with 20 seconds
left sealed the game.
The Wizards jumped to an 11-point first-quarter lead by
outshooting and outhustling the Cavs. The confidence showed in
Michael Smith's tip-in baskets late in the second quarter, on
Richard Hamilton's leaping interception to stop a fast break, on
Howard's strong moves to the basket. Howard is averaging 22.6
points during the winning streak.
"It feels good, man, to sit down here and answer some
questions," Howard said. "Sometimes when you're losing, your
spirit is down, your morale, your head is down. ... It feels better
to just come out here and crack some jokes and have some fun. Just
enjoy this moment right now."
The Wizards also continued to win with a makeshift starting
lineup and a bench supplemented by ex-starters Rod Strickland,
Mitch Richmond and Jahidi White. Ten players played at least 12
minutes.
The Wizards led by 19 at halftime and made it 21 early in the
third before the Cavaliers starting hitting their jump shots. The
lead fluctuated from 12 to 20 and back before the Wizards hit a dry
spell midway through the fourth.
Andre Miller's layup with 4:29 remaining cut the lead to 10 at
88-78. Washington ended a four-minute field goal drought when
Whitney hit a transition jumper with 2:14 to go. Gatling responded
with an inside basket to start the final rally, but the Cavs had
too much ground to make up.
In a somber locker room, Gatling was just hoping the team would
survive an upcoming tough stretch and make it to the All-Star
break.
"We were a little flat," Gatling said. "We're trying to find
ourselves, but we don't really have time. We've got five games in
seven nights, so the thing about us is getting some rest."
Game notes
The Wizards winning streak began when George W. Bush was
inaugurated, but that's as far as the Bush run goes. Washington
lost its last three before the president's father left office eight
years ago. ... The Wizards are 5-1 with Smith in the starting
lineup.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 99
Detroit 87
Washington 95
Cleveland 89
Phoenix 95
Atlanta 82
Minnesota 99
Milwaukee 96
Utah 97
Denver 91
Vancouver 97
New Jersey 86
Charlotte 93
Golden State 85
San Antonio 96
LA Clippers 67
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Juwan Howard Official Site
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