With point guard Antonio Daniels out for 2-4 weeks with a sprained knee, the Washington Wizards were more than shorthanded going into Saturday night’s game against the visiting Sacramento Kings. Rookie Nick Young started in Daniels’ spot in the back court and scored five of the team’s first seven points, but it was the hot hand of DeShawn Stevenson that led the Wizards to a 92-79 win. Stevenson played over 44 minutes and connected…

>> “The structural steel and concrete work on the new Nationals stadium is done, and a ‘topping out’ celebration is set for Wednesday, July 11.” [WTOP] >> “Starbucks has arrived to Columbia Heights. Mi barrio has a Starbucks coffee.” [El Guapo in DC] >> A great list of rejected names for a new food blog — the demise of “girl sandwich” will be mourned by all of us at DCist. [endless simmer] >> A…

Last week the Wizards signed former GW forward Mike Hall to a 10-day contract, making him the second Colonial from last year’s team to make it to the NBA. The first was Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who scored the first points by a GW player in the NBA since Yinka “the Stinka” Dare in 1998. Neither look to play much this season, but it got us thinking – where are all the other players from local colleges?…

We considered giving in to the late west coast start time and going to bed last night with the Wizards leading the Lakers by ten after three quarters during which they’d generally stayed firmly in control. We’re glad we persevered. First, the Lakers staged a major rally late in the fourth quarter driven by stellar three-point shooting and several botched clutch free throws for D.C., forcing overtime. Then, Agent Zero turned the hibachi to high…

The Washington Wizards took another step towards the Mendoza Line last night with an emphatic 120-91 win over the visiting Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets entered the Verizon Center with an impressive 12-7 record and a viable MVP candidate in Baltimore product Carmelo Anthony. They left the court looking like a team that was in the middle of a five game road trip, wondering who would be shipped out of town in a possible deal…

>> Although it’s (finally) playoff time in MLS, most of the discussion around DC United centers around 16-year-old Freddy Adu. Last week he complained publicly about his playing time, or perceived lack of it. The next day, Adu met with team officials in an effort to clear the air, but apparently he did not apologize, so he was suspended for United’s playoff game on Friday against the Chicago Fire, which ended in a listless…

>> Despite their propensity to fight through injuries this year, the absence of All Star Antawn Jamison was evident last night as the Washington Wizards fell in Denver to the red hot Nuggets 127-98. Gilbert Arenas led the Wiz with 25, but the team shot just 39% from the field. Coach Eddie Jordan might want to look at the team’s defense too. The Nuggets shot over 55% and it’s never a good thing when…

Need some counter-programming to the barrage of election coverage sure to inundate the airwaves tonight? How about the opening of the 2004/2005 NBA season? TNT will broadcast a doubleheader tonight showcasing Houston traveling to Detroit to take on the reigning NBA champs followed by Team Kobe taking on the Denver Nuggets in La La land. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. And what of the Washington Wizards you ask? Well, count on them getting off to…