"Ten months to the day that he caught an outlet pass in the lane, pushed off his left leg to attempt a layup, grimaced and dropped gawkily to the floor, Josh Howard was back on the same court, facing the same team.

But Howard said that at no point Wednesday did he reflect on that ill-fated night against the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 22, when he suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament and had to watch the Washington Wizards founder as he was forced into a lengthy rehabilitation. "It wasn't a thought," Howard said. "Just thinking about a win."

Howard didn't get a win, as the Wizards lost, 87-80, at Verizon Center. But the former all-star forward showed once again that the Wizards are a much more competitive and competent team, especially on the defensive end, with him on the floor. The Wizards (7-20) are just 1-2 since Howard made his debut, but those two losses have come against Miami and Chicago - two of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference - and they were in position to win both games.

Since Howard joined the Wizards in a trade deadline deal with Dallas last February, they are 4-3 with him and a whopping 12-40 without him. The Wizards have lost those three games by a combined 13 points."