Ugly 2 Q equals loss

This one was lost in the second period when the Wizards squandered a lead by making only 3-of-24 shots and scored 13 points. It was a game late but you never had the feeling that the Wizards were going to make the plays needed to win because the offense was ragged most of the night and the bench wasn't matching the energy coming from Chicago's reserves, particularly rookie Aaron Gray and second-year forward Tyrus Thomas.

The Wiz hadn't played since Saturday night but instead of looking rested and fresh, they came out flat and never really got rolling (Well, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison did but as a team, they never flowed). This was one of those nights when the team's shorthandedness (word?) bit them. They practiced with only six guys on Monday because Caron and Antawn were sick and Andray Blatche was cleared to deal with a personal matter and weren't at full strength on Tuesday either.

Eddie Jordan: "We haven't scrimmaged much in three days, so we just didn't have the flow. It is difficult to go three days without a scrimmage. Still, that is no excuse. We got some rest."

They better squeeze in some more because the weekend features a back-to-back.