Final Score: Wizards 98, Knicks 83

It's gonna get ugly sometimes. Tuesday night was sometimes. The Knicks got off to a weirdly hot start, thanks to some combination of tough offense, feisty defense, and Wizard boners. Mostly Wizard boners.

The Knicks couldn't push far enough ahead, though, and the hideous beast Paul Pierce-- flanked by other shooters and fed by the elusive John Wall-- tortured a sluggish Knicks defense.

On the other end, Washington focused on denying the Knicks' beloved second-option passes to the weak-side guard and New York had no clue how to beat the pressure. Carmelo Anthony struggled to find clean looks and ended up giving away a heap of turnovers and another heap of horrid shots.

It was a very early test of Derek Fisher's ability to adapt and the Knicks' resolve, and they failed. That'll happen. It's so early, the Knicks remain without their starting point guard, and the Wizards look pretty good.

Tonight was the comedown from a surprising pair of wins, and there may be more lows to come. I'm still happy with 2-2.

Look for a recap from Scott later tonight. Three-game road trip coming up next.