Reeling Wizards hold 2nd players-only meeting of season

Mired in a month-long slump that's left them four games below .500 for the second time this season, the Washington Wizards are turning to a familiar trick.

The Wizards held a players-only meeting after yet another dispiriting performance in their 117-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. They previously had a players-only meeting in November following their 2-7 start.

"It's kind of similar to the past years. We've been through the same thing," Shooting guard Bradley Beal told Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. "It always takes a team meeting or two to figure it out, but we're at the point now where we know what we need to do."

Since Dec. 28, the Wizards have racked up 10 losses against six wins. They've dropped five of their last six games, with their only win coming against a severely shorthanded Miami Heat squad that struggled to piece together eight healthy bodies.

Defense, which has been a calling card for Washington in recent years, has noticeably fallen off. The team ranks 18th in defensive rating after finishing in the top 10 in the last three campaigns.

"No matter what scheme we put out there, if guys don't go out and execute the scheme and don't compete defensively, defense is all about heart," guard Garrett Temple said. "You don't have to be the quickest, you don't got to be the strongest, you just got to have heart. And that comes with defending every possession and rebounding."

Injuries have exacerbated the Wizards' troubles. Their second-best player in Beal has been in and out of the lineup, Alan Anderson and Martell Webster have yet to play this season, and their scattered frontcourt of Kris Humphries, Drew Gooden, and Nene have all missed time due to nagging injuries.

Despite all the gloom and doom, the Wizards are still in the thick of the playoff hunt. They sit three games out of eighth place and have rode second-half turnarounds in each of the past two seasons to punch their ticket to the postseason.

"We're still in a great position to make the playoffs with 40 or however many games we have left. We have a great opportunity to make a run so it's up to us to be able to put it together and get out here and get some wins," Beal added.