Tonight is going to be a tough one, no doubt. Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams will be joining Speedy Claxton on the sidelines, courtesy of injuries they sustained Monday night in the loss at Miami.

Washington has been a particularly frustrating opponent so far this season, as we have played well enough to beat them twice on the road, only to lose by a single point each time.

What do we need to do tonight to get off the schneid? I spoke to Assistant Coach Herb Brown earlier today for our Breaking Down the Wizards segment, and he says the key to their offense is F Antawn Jamison. I was surprised to hear that, considering how many points Gilbert "Hibachi!" Arenas is capable of scoring, but Brown says the Wiz can be had if Arenas gets his 40 but they limit Jamison and Caron Butler to ten apiece.

If we are going to win, we are going to need big-time scoring contributions across the board, but particularly along the perimeter as that is where Marvin and JJ get a lot of their points. Personally, I'd like to see more Josh Childress after his performance on Monday, as he had a few very impressive forays into the lane for points.

We are on a six-game slide, and yes, breaking that would be a lot easier if we had two of our best scorers, but let's not feel sorry for ourselves. If anything, this will give some of our younger players a chance to show if they can contribute on a meaningful basis. To whit, Sekou Smith is reporting that Solomon Jones will be in the starting lineup tonight.

Come out tonight to support our guys - a win without Joe would be a huge confidence boost.

See you there!