Notebook: Wizards 92, Bobcats 75

By Rich Dubroff, for NBA.com
Posted Wednesday January 25, 2012 11:26PM

THE FACTS: Nick Young had 20 points and Andray Blatche added 17 to lead the Washington Wizards to a 92-75 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday in Randy Wittman's first game as coach.

Washington was just 2-15 under Flip Saunders, who was fired on Tuesday morning, and replaced for the rest of the season by Wittman, who had previously coached Cleveland and Minnesota. The Wizards led throughout the game and led 48-28 at halftime.

Charlotte has lost six straight, and played without its top two leading scorers, Gerald Henderson and D.J. Augustin. Matt Carroll led the Bobcats, who are 3-16, with 17.

QUOTABLE: "I can't honestly say we needed a new voice. We just needed somebody to actually check us-like Wittman did. That's what we needed."
-- Blatche on the coaching change.

THE STAT: The Bobcats' 28 points were just two more than their all-time low for a first half and four more than their worst half in franchise history.

TURNING POINT: Washington led 31-17 after one, and though Charlotte momentarily cut it to 13 in the third quarter, the Wizards quickly padded the led to 25.

QUOTABLE II: "I've got to help them kick some of those bad habits. That's all it is. We've just fallen into a way that's not conducive to us to win, so when I see them pull out a cigarette, I have to take it out of their mouth."
-- Wittman on breaking the team of its mistake-prone play.

HOT: Washington's John Wall was 6-for-9, but had seven turnovers.

NOT: Charlotte's Kemba Walker, who started in place of Augustin, was just 4-for-19 from the field.

GOOD MOVE: Henderson scratching himself after pregame warmups with a bruised lower back. He missed another lopsided loss -- the Bobcats' seventh of 17 points or more.

BAD MOVE: Blatche had five of his shots blocked by Tyrus Thomas, who finished with nine blocks-one short of the team record.

NOTABLE: Both teams tied their season high for turnovers. The Wizards had 23 and Charlotte had 22.

IN THE ARENA: Two teams with a combined 6-31 record drew an announced crowd of 15,286.

NEXT: Bobcats: Friday @ Sixers, Saturday vs. Wizards, Tuesday @ Lakers. Wizards: Friday @ Rockets, Saturday @ Bobcats, Monday vs. Bulls