A funny thing happened on the way to a Knicks game…..

If only the Wizards could play the league’s elite every night. A good chunk of their 13 wins have come from the top-tier teams including back-to-back wins against the Clippers and the Knicks. It makes sense that teams get up to play the very best. And the sold out Verizon center was especially buzzing last night, albeit many in attendance were Tri-State area transplants rooting for the Knicks — a normal occurrence whenever the Knicks travel anywhere along the eastern seaboard.

The storyline heading into the game was seemingly all about New York, winners of five straight before last night. Carmelo didn’t necessarily disappoint with his 31 points. And Amar’e Stoudamire gave another solid performance putting up 19 points in what were noticeably longer minutes as he continues his comeback from microscopic knee surgery. Recently Mike Woodson has been gradually incorporating a bigger lineup of Anthony, Stoudamire and Tyson Chandler recognizing that he will eventually have to go with it in the playoffs if the Knicks are serious about making a push.

But while majority of the fans — and the likes of Magic Johnson and Kentucky coach John Calipari who were also in attendance — came to see a Carmelo Anthony highlight reel, they ended up getting an offensive showing by the Wizards who are now 8-7 since John Wall’s return. Impressively, the Wizards put up 36 points in the fourth quarter. How much of that is attributable to poor defense on the Knicks, is a fair question. John Wall had another promising outing, nearly posting a double-double with 21 points and nine assists. If only he could have cut down on those season-high six turnovers. But Wizards fans would be proud of little man Wall holding his ground against 6’11’’ Stoudamire after a few unnecessary elbows in the lane led to a mini-altercation, seen mid-way through this clip.

As it stands, a mere four games separates the Wizards from the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference which would officially put them “on the bubble” for playoff contention. The schedule over the next few weeks lightens up a bit with the All-Star break thrown in. If the Wizards can stay above .500 over the next month, we could be looking at a very different scenario come mid-March.

The revived Brooklyn Nets come into town on Friday. Though they lack the fan power of the Knicks, you can still call it a marquee match-up which, if theory holds, will translate into a solid performance by the Wizards. After that, the next game against a top-tier team isn’t until March 1 when the Knicks return to the Verizon Center. Trevor Ariza doubts the notion of playing with extra intensity against the elite teams. “I don’t think that’s something we intend to do,” he told reporters. “We just play hard every night.” Right. My thinking is, why deny it? If it works in your favor, embrace it.

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Washington Wizards – A Sign of Life

Okay, now we’re talking! The Washington Wizards on Monday night as they pulled off the unthinkable by not just picking up a win, but doing so against the league’s best Oklahoma City Thunder to spoil DC native and NBA superstar Kevin Durant’s homecoming. By far it was easier to predict an Alabama beat down of Notre Dame than to see this one coming.

…Or was it?

Let’s remember that of the Wizards’ five wins this season, two have now come against the NBA’s upper echelon teams — the Heat and the Thunder. And around the same time last year the Wizards had also beaten the Thunder at the Verizon Center, showing that even in the depths of a troubled season they can still get it going for the big games.

Ah, who are we kidding — of course we’re surprised by this one. Surprised and encouraged. If ever there was a time for a big win, tonight was it. January can very much be the dog days of the NBA as teams limp towards the All-Star break. But the Wiz have been dealt a particularly rough schedule over the coming weeks, making this an ever crucial stretch that could separate a really bad season from one that sets new records in the history books.

Heading into Sunday, their next three games were against the Heat, Thunder and Hawks. Ouch. Then a seemingly winnable game against Orlando (source of their last win) before going to the west coast for five games. Regardless of the opponents, traveling cross country amidst a losing streak is always a dangerous recipe.

Bradley Beal’s jumper with 0.3 seconds left carried the Wizards to a shocking 101-99 win over the Thunder. Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

So had the Wiz not pulled out the W on Monday, who knows just how bad things could be by month’s end? Monday’s win is not the silver bullet for a magical turnaround. But it is something positive to work with. More encouraging than a mark in the win column is how they won it. The Wizards had built a double-digit lead only to see it dwindle in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Blowing a big lead late could normally crush a team mentally, particularly when coming at the hands of the league’s best team. But the Wizards proved resilient enough to hang in and execute big plays down the stretch including a game winning shot with just .4 ticks left on the clock.

Even had the Wizards lost, one could argue that the moral victory of playing the Thunder tight all game would be just as good as an actual win — a low bar for most, but you take what you can get when you’re 5-28. Instead, they have some momentum to build on heading into what should be a tough game against Atlanta. What’s more, it’s appearing increasingly likely that star guard John Wall could be back in action within the next week or two.

You also have to hand it to Wizards nation. Despite the rough ride so far this season, the Verizon Center comes to life for each home game. It was more so the case on Monday night for the fans who flocked to see the prodigal son Kevin Durant return to play in his hometown. With a noticeable portion of the crowd cheering on each Durant bucket, it was obvious that no matter the result, Monday was a win-win for DC natives. The city may have the worst team in the league record-wise, but it can also boast to raising and training one of the game’s best.

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