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San Antonio vs. Washington, Final Score: Spurs streak halted, overcome by pesky Wizards, 113-118

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San Antonio vs. Washington, Final Score: Spurs streak halted, overcome by pesky Wizards, 113-118


San Antonio (10-37) proved unable to continue its recent spate of strong home peformances in a come-from-ahead loss against Washington (9-37). Despite a quiet first half by Jordan Poole, the Wizards were able to shave double-digit deficits on several occasions to keep the Spurs constantly on edge. Washington then maintained its composure down the stretch, in a fourth quarter San Antonio would like to forget, behind its veterans to finally take the lead for good with only minutes to spare. Both benches contributed significantly throughout with Washington netting 44 and San Antonio getting 49 from theirs.

San Antonio’s duo of Victor Wembanyama (22 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers) and Devin Vassell (24 points and 5 rebounds) kept their teammates afloat during the several periods of dried-up offense throughout. Cedi Osman (20 points) and Keldon Johnson (14 points and 5 rebounds) supplied sufficient fuel to help maintain a Spurs’ lead for over three periods until the unceremonious last moments.

Gafford (16 points and 13 rebounds), Kyle Kuzma (18 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists), and Tyus Jones (15 points and 9 assists) led the stirring comeback for Washington, who won their second straight game. Both benches contributed significantly throughout with Washington netting 47 and San Antonio getting 51 from theirs.

It wasn’t Kuzma and Poole that started the scoring for Washington – it was surprisingly Daniel Gafford. Wembanyama continued his recent run of strong performances with 10 early points. After the rookie sat, San Antonio received some strong bench support from Blake Wesley, Johnson, and Osman, which seemed to energize the home team and crowd immensely. The Spurs surged out to a 35-25 lead.

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Washington received a powerful boost from its bench, particularly Marvin Bagley, Jr. and rookie Bilal Coulilaby at the start of the second quarter to make San Antonio uncomfortable. The game became bogged down by numerous squandered possessions and the Wizards were able to nab the lead late in the half. A sloppy half resulted in nearly 20 turnovers between the combatants. While it looked like the Wizards seemed destined to grab the lead, Vassell steadied the Spurs with his offense and helped them stay ahead 58-54 at the half.

In an exciting third period characterized by spurts of scoring, Washington managed to stay a threat to take the lead by drawing numerous foul calls throughout the frame. Bagley, Jr., in particular, slowed the game pace down heavily with several dubious calls going in his favor. It again fell to the Spurs’ high performing trio of Jones (Tre), Wembanyama, and Vassell to keep them afloat after the Wizards drew San Antonio into the foul bonus.

Observations

  • The Tyus vs. Tre matchup we needed to determine whether San Antonio has the best brother! (And unfortunately it looked like Tyus shined when it mattered)
  • Whomever’s child was responsible for screaming ‘DEFENSE’ (loudly heard on the broadcast) deserves all the snacks (and late sleepy time).
  • Vassell’s and Johnson’s post-game quotes were really heartening to hear from Saturday night’s win over the Wolves.
  • Coulibaly has a very nice future in the league.
  • Victor Ease: An early pass from Vassell looked like it wouid elude its target, but Wembanyama managed to re-direct it with his right hand right into the hoop! Remember when fans and writers were imploring his teammates to toss it up high to him? This is probably what they meant.
  • If it seemed like the main go-to play for Washington in the first half was the lob, you are right!
  • Sequence of the Game – First Half: Late in the first period, Johnson muscled a floater home. Then Wesley swiped away the inbound pass from an unsuspecting Poole, and Johnson took the loose ball – finding Wesley in the deep corner for an enthralling three.
  • Sequence of the Game – Second Half: Late in the third quarter, Wesley again disrupted a Wizards possession with a steal, found Dominick Barlow near the key, who slung it out to a waiting Osman for a key field goal.
  • WEMBY Sequence of the Game: Late in the fourth, after Osman missed a corner three, Wembanyama swiped a sure rebound headed for Coulibaly, and found a cutting Osman for a crucial layup
  • Devin’s Deeds: The pick-and-roll action between he and Wembanyama yielded some nice scoring early on.
  • “Volver, Volver” needs to be the end of third quarter song, doesn’t it?
  • Both teams started the game with uneven and disorienting sequences with many front-rimmed Spurs shots. Gafford used his length and motor to slam home buckets and keeping possessions alive. Wembanyama asserted himself from the get-go to get into double-digits. Sloppy play transitioned into something of a track meet and a Sochan dunk in transition put San Antonio up three. Upon his entry, Wesley blitzed several surprised Wizards with a blur of pressure, steals, and buckets. The Spurs left the frame up ten.
  • An Osman three pushed San Antonio’s advantage to 14 to start the second. Bagley, Jr. willed home a couple of and-1’s, and a Landry Shamet three briefly brought the Wizards within two. Wembanyama recorded a ‘stock’ (steal / block) on a clumsy Gafford attempt. Vassell impressively scored a bucket at one end and blocked a Jones floater at the other. Poole bricked four of his first five attempts and committed a shot clock violation – oof. Kuzma’s turnaround drew Washington to within four heading into the break.
  • Despite Julian Champagnie being the recipient of a Vassell kickout for his first three, the Wizards started fast in the third to tie things at 61. Jones (Tre) converted two straight heady lay-ups and kickstarted a transition opportunity which netted Vassell an and-1. As Sean Elliott compared Gafford to Alonzo Mourning in stature and gait, Wembanyama, resembling a prime Tim Duncan, lured him into a foul on the left block. He then re-directed a missile from Jeremy Sochan over his head to a waiting Jones (Tre) for a layup. The teams traded buckets liberally over the bulk of the next minutes until San Antonio’s bench amped up the pressure to bump the lead to ten momentarily. Doug McDermott’s three helped San Antonio enter the fourth up 93-87.
  • After a handful of Spurs’ misses to begin the fourth quarter, Wembanyama tipped home a miss and knocked down a 14-footer. Jones (Tre) was crucial in drawing offensive fouls from Corey Kispert and Bagley Jr. Barlow fouled out with over eight minutes remaining. Sochan smartly looked off two defenders to find Johnson for an open three, but a Kuzma floater drew Washington within three. With a chance to tie the game, Poole fumbled the ball out of bounds, but hit a game-tying three after.
  • After an Osman lay-up, Coulibaly nailed a corner three. After a Wembanyama bankshot, Jones (Tyus) swished a pull-up. Kuzma’s layup was matched a Vassell jumper. After yet another Jones (Tyus) field goal, Vassell was whistled for an offensive foul. Gafford snatched a loose ball to throw home a thunderous dunk to finish off the shell-shocked Spurs.

For the Wizards fan’s perspective, please visit Bullets Forever.

Continuing its homestand, San Antonio takes on Paolo Banchero and the resurgent Orlando Magic Wednesday night at 7:00 PM CDT.



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Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say

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Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say


Charging documents reveal the U.S. Park Police officer who was shot Monday in Southeast D.C. had arrested one of the suspects the day before and was following that suspect at the time.

The suspects are brothers, 22-year-old Asheile Foster and 21-year-old Darren Foster, of Southeast. They appeared in federal court Wednesday afternoon.

Court documents state the Park Police officer who was shot had arrested Asheile Foster on Sunday on suspicion of dealing drugs. The officer said he followed Foster after he was released from jail on Monday and came to Park Police headquarters to get his personal belongings.

According to prosecutors, Foster told police he knew he was being followed by a white Tesla, and he confronted the officer on Queens Stroll Place SE, jumping out in front of the Tesla before the officer swerved around him.

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Then, dozens of gunshots went off, the officer told police. He said in charging documents he was shot in the shoulder as he kept driving several blocks to the intersection of Benning Road and Southern Avenue SE, where police found him. A helicopter then took him to a hospital. According to charging documents, the officer was treated and released the same night as the shooting.

A U.S. Park Police officer who was shot in Southeast D.C. on Monday is recovering from what authorities say was likely a targeted attack. Multiple law enforcement sources tell News4’s Mark Segraves that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday.

Photos in the charging documents show the brothers firing at the officer’s Tesla, according to prosecutors.

The shooting drew a massive police presence to the Southeast neighborhood near the D.C-Maryland border Monday night.

Shell casings littered the middle of the street. Police said they recovered two weapons: a Glock 9 with an extended magazine and an AR-15.

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Prosecutors said that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday. No one was injured in that shooting.

Darren Foster was located and stopped shortly after the shooting, D.C. police said. Asheile Foster was found on Tuesday.

The brothers were charged with assault on a federal officer, assault with intent to kill and weapons charges. They could face up to 60 years in prison if they’re convicted.



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Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors

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Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors


Washington just became the latest state to regulate artificial intelligence.

Under a pair of bills signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson Tuesday, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic will have to include new disclosures in their popular chatbots for Washington users.

Ferguson asked legislators to craft House Bill 1170 to crack down on AI-generated misinformation. When content is substantially modified using generative AI, that information will now have to be traceable using watermarks or metadata. The new law applies to large AI companies more than 1 million monthly subscribers.

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“ I’m confident I’m not the only Washingtonian who often sees something on my phone and wondering to myself, ‘Is that AI or is it real?’ And I feel like I’m a reasonably discerning person,” Ferguson said during the bill signing. “It is virtually impossible these days.”

RELATED: WA Gov. Bob Ferguson calls for regulations on AI chatbot companions

House Bill 2225 establishes new guard rails for AI chatbots that act like friends or companions. It applies to services like ChatGPT and Claude, but excludes more narrowly tailored chatbots, like the customer service windows that pop up when visiting a corporate website.

Chatbots that fit the bill will have to disclose to users that they are not human at the start of every conversation, and every three hours in an ongoing chat. The tools will also be barred from pretending to be human in conversation with users.

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The rules go further if the user is a minor. Companies that operate chatbots will have to disclose that the tools are not human every hour, rather than every three hours, if the user is under 18. The bill forbids AI companions from having sexually explicit conversations with underage users. It also bans “manipulative engagement techniques.” For example, a chatbot is not allowed to guilt or pressure a minor into staying in a conversation or keeping information from parents.

“AI has incredible potential to transform society,” Ferguson said. “At the same time, of course, there are risks that we must mitigate as a state, especially to young people. So I speak partly as a governor, but also as the father of teenage twins who grapple with this as a lot of parents do every single day.”

Under the law, AI chatbots will not be allowed to encourage or provide information on suicide or self-harm, including eating disorders. The companies behind these tools will be required to come up with a protocol for flagging conversations that reference self-harm and connecting users with mental health services.

The regulations come in the wake of several high-profile instances of teenage suicide following prolonged interactions with AI companions that showed warning signs. Many more AI users of all ages have reported mental health issues and psychosis after heavy use of the technology.

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Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

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Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid


Washington Wizards (16-55, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (21-51, 14th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup with Utah after losing 16 in a row.

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The Jazz have gone 13-24 in home games. Utah ranks second in the Western Conference with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Lauri Markkanen averaging 3.3.

The Wizards are 5-29 in road games. Washington is 9-10 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 15.3 turnovers per game.

The Jazz score 117.4 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 124.1 the Wizards give up. The Wizards’ 46.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.9 percentage points lower than the Jazz have allowed to their opponents (49.0%).

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 122-112 on March 6, with Ace Bailey scoring 32 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.

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Alex Sarr is averaging 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 14.4 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points per game.

Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.6 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Cody Williams: out (shoulder), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (back), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Tre Johnson: day to day (foot), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.



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