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SEEN AND HEARD AT VERIZON CENTER

After missing Thursday’s practice and Friday morning’s shootaround while resting his strained left thumb, All-Star forward Antawn Jamison, who had been listed as a “game-time decision,” reported to interim coach Ed Tapscott’s office a few hours before the game and told Tapscott he was going to play.

That Jamison wanted to play wasn’t a surprise at all to Tapscott, but the coach wanted Jamison to be totally sure he wasn’t risking further injury. He sent Jamison out to the court to do a warmup and see what his pain level was.

Jamison, who warmed up wearing a splint, came back and said he was fine. Tapscott gave him the green light, knowing he would’ve received a hard time from Jamison had he not.

“It would’ve been a battle,” Tapscott chuckled before the game. “I remember after the game, my instructions to our trainer, Eric Waters, were ’Just do me a favor and make sure it isn’t serious.’ And he said, ’With Antawn, it probably isn’t going to be.’ ”

Tapscott said he knew better than to question the team’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder.

“He said he can go — and he’s bigger than I am, so I wasn’t going to fight him,” Tapscott laughed.

— Mike Jones

QUOTABLE

“Stats can tell you whatever you want them to tell you. So they are a tool. I like to use stats as a tool to describe certain circumstances. But using stats only is like watching a black-and-white television: You’re not getting any of the nuance of color.”

— Wizards interim coach Ed Tapscott

BY THE NUMBERS

6 Points scored Friday night by Antawn Jamison off goaltending calls on the 76ers.