Same old story

Well, it was a familiar tune tonight. Not enough players and an inability to sustain a high level of play for the amount of time needed to pull off the win. Washington held double digit leads in the first, second and third quarters, but couldn't protect them. They managed to hold the Bulls at bay in the first two quarters, but then a 6-for-26 third quarter on Washington's part, and a 33-point quarter by Chicago made the difference. From there, the Wizards had to battle back and couldn't pull any closer than one point before falling 101-99.

On the bright side, the Wizards managed to compete despite missing Butler and Songaila. On the dark side, the same old mistakes of poor shot selection -- mainly the third quarter when Washington settled for too many jump shots -- proved costly.

Jamison summing up the game:

"It was pretty much the same story, come out flat in the third quarter, they got up by 11 or 12, ever since then we had to fight, but I commend the young fellas for not hanging their heads low and contending to play hard. ... Some of it was the ball just wasn't going through the hoop. We know there are going to be times like that, but for us, when we're struggling offensively, you have to elevate your game defensively, make it tougher."

Jamison on the possibility of Gilbert Arenas coming back on Saturday:

"Until I see it, um, what do you want me to say? . . . I know he's been texting a lot lately . . . It'll be nice to get a fresh body, and a good friend out there."

Arenas and Haywood will go through their first full-speed practices tomorrow at noon. Stay tuned . . .