Trevor Ariza could miss crucial Bobcats game with groin injury

There are rare occasions during the season where the Capitals and Wizards play in the same building on the same day. Saturday was one of those times, with the Capitals playing in the afternoon and the Wizards taking the court at night. The Verizon Center facilities crew does the very best it can, but it's hard to go from an ice surface to a hardwood floor in the same day without some leftover effects.

Those leftover effects popped up in Washington's 101-97 win over the Hawks, which featured several players on both sides slipping without being pushed. It may also cost the Wizards one of their best players for Monday's key showdown against the Charlotte Bobcats. That'd be Trevor Ariza, who hurt his groin in the third quarter and looked limited when he returned to the game in the fourth.

Via Michael Lee of the Washington Post:

After moving gingerly through the locker room, Ariza said he wasn't certain if he would be available on Monday when the Wizards take on the Charlotte Bobcats in a game that could provide more security for a Washington team that is hoping to avoid the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

"I'm okay," Ariza said after scoring 13 points in the win, then chuckled to himself. "We'll see what happens."

Ariza later said his plan is to get as much treatment as possible, and Randy Wittman told the media that the team would know more as we get closer to the game.

The Wizards definitely need Ariza out there if they want to beat a resurgent Bobcats team that's nipping at their heels for sixth. A victory would put the Wizards up four games with eight to play, all but sealing a top-six seed.