John Wall to miss third straight game

John Wall has been ruled out tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies, Coach Flip Saunders said, marking the third game in a row Washington's rookie sensation will be sidelined with a left foot injury. Wall sprained his foot in Saturday night's 103-96 loss at Chicago and since has been listed as day-to-day.

"I'm hoping tomorrow," Saunders said when asked when Wall realistically could be back on the court. "He has been day-to-day. In our last game we had at home [on Nov. 16, a 109-94 win against Toronto], he made great progress. He had no swelling in his ankle, but when he went to run he still got some pain, kind of on the inside of his ankle, so when he's able to cut without a significant amount of pain, then he'll be able to go."

The Wizards' next game is Sunday at Detroit.

Wall went to the doctor this morning for further evaluation, and Saunders said results indicated the current cause of discomfort for the No. 1 overall pick is a contusion on the inside of his ankle. Saunders said he was hoping for Wall to get in some shooting and to be able to test his foot to see if it can withstand the stress of planting and pivoting.

Wall is leading the Wizards in points (18.1) and assists (9.8) and continues to lead the NBA in steals (3.3). With Wall out, Gilbert Arenas remains in the starting lineup with Kirk Hinrich in the back court. Washington is 1-1 without Wall.

"Tomorrow we're hoping to get him some stuff done," Saunders said. "Some shooting, and some things like that, and he needs at least to get into a little rhythm."