"Josh Howard came behind Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, batted the ball in front of him, then sprinted ahead toward the sideline to track it down. He hurdled Ty Lawson to get the ball and soared feet first into the stands, landing on a cup of beer, knocking over another and causing a huge splash that drenched the folks in the front row. After landing on one fan's lap, Howard looked down and smiled. He later wiped the beverage off his leg and shoe, as fans at Verizon Center stood and applauded.

"It's go hard or go home," Howard said after scoring 20 points in the Washington Wizards' surprising 107-97 win over the Nuggets on Friday night. "I think those fans enjoyed that. Hopefully that'll make them come back for more."

A round of trades in less than a week may have reduced the number of all-stars on the Wizards' roster, but Howard and the misfit replacements have raised the effort and energy level the past two games. They have also forced a once-drab home crowd -- which had grown accustomed to the malaise of this moribund season -- to suddenly show some emotion. "