Nuggets @ Wizards (1-0 to start 8-game roadtrip)

Tipoff at 8:00 p.m. Eastern (6:00 p.m. Mountain) on ESPN

Nuggets hope to Wiz through Washington

Did you like the corny title above? I hope you did because I did it just for you ... the reader!

Apparently the Nuggets have entered the NBADL and David Stern forgot to mention it to the team.

Here were the Wizards' starting five versus the Nets in Wednesday nights 27-point loss (115-88):

PG: Mike James - mediocre shoot first backup point guard.
SG: Nick Young - talented second year guy from USC.
SF: Antawn Jamison - talented veteran stuck on a injury plagued team.
PF: Dominic McGuire - second year guy out of Fresno State ... averages 3 ppg.
C: Darius Songaila - not a bad second or third option off the bench.

Washington has been without their floor leader all season as Gilbert Arenas, who signed a 6-year $111 million extension in the offseason, is still rehabilitating his left knee injury. The Wizards' Caron Butler (whom I desperately wanted the Nuggets to draft over Nikoloz Tskitishvili at No. 5 in the 2002 draft) is a gametime decision (flu).

It appears that both Billups and KMart are both questionable for tonight's game in Washinton. So, JR Smith will be handling the backup point guard duties once again if Billups can't go - coming off his 22 point night against the Thunder. And I think Denver should be able to rest both guys tonight anyway.

Denver needs to put this game away early as they will face the New Jersey Nets Saturday night in another back-to-back series. Denver has three more back-to-back series attached to this current road trip.

I expect Nene to have a field day against an undersized Wizards team as nobody can match his speed and strength on the current Washington roster. Denver tends to get Nene involved early and he has been disappearing late as he did against the Thunder.

I hope the Nuggets don't have to put forth much effort late in this one as they should have this game wrapped up by the 3rd Quarter, like George Karl has been preaching.

Pregame Notes:

• Washington is currently tied with the Clippers for the worst record in the NBA at 10-39 and the Wizards are 2-8 in their last 10 games
• The Nuggets 6-6 in the 2nd Game of back-to-backs and 3-5 in the 2nd Game of road back-to-backs.
  
• Nene has averaged 19.6 points per game since Melo has returned from injury
• The Nuggets are 12-3 when the Birdman notches 3+ blocks in a game.

The Opposition: Bullets Forever