The Washington Wizards' woeful run continued with a 95-86 overtime loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday, the home team's 12th consecutive defeat made worse by a furious row between the coach and one of his players.
Flip Saunders, the Wizards coach, benched Andray Blatche in the first quarter after the forward, who has been one of the few bright spots in a dreadful season, refused to return to the action after the two argued over his defensive contribution.
"I took him out of the game because I wanted to talk to him about not getting back on def-ence," Saunders said. "He didn't want to hear it. I told him 'If you don't want to talk, don't want to be coached, you're not going to play'. We had coaches go up to him three different times. He just said he didn't want to play."
"In 15 years [of coaching], I've never seen anything like it. Never.
"He can be upset at me but you never leave your teammates hanging out to dry like that.
"No matter what. Especially when you've lost 11 games in a row and have a chance to win one. It's uncalled for."
Saunders said he did not believe Blatche, who scored four points but no rebounds in seven minutes against the Bobcats, would play against Indiana in the Wizard's next game. The Wizards (21-48) made a good start to the campaign but have struggled since December when floor leader and three-time All-Star Gilbert Arenas was suspended for the remainder of the season for bringing guns into the locker room.
In Tuesday's defeat, Al Thornton hit a three-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 82-82 and force overtime but the Wizards were swamped in the extra session.
The 23-year-old Blatche, playing in his fifth NBA season, left the arena before the end of the game and was nowhere to be seen in the Wizards' locker room.
"I am really disappointed in him," Saunders added. "Since he's been starting, 60 per cent of the offence is run through him. He thinks I yell at him because he takes bad shots. He's taken twice as many shots as anybody.
"Coaches aren't wrong. When a coach wants to teach you something, you can't think you're above that."
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Business Insights
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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Sand storm
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- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
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Dust storm
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- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
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Pathaan
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.