Jeff Zillgitt

USA TODAY Sports

WASHINGTON – If the playoff air didn't get a little thinner and the breathing a little tighter for the Washington Wizards after losing Game 3 to the Chicago Bulls on Friday, it definitely did Saturday.

The NBA suspended Wizards forward-center Nene one game without pay for "head-butting and grabbing guard-forward Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls around the neck with both hands and attempting to throw him down," NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said in a statement.

Nene will miss Game 4, and it's a huge loss for the Wizards who relied on Nene's scoring, passing and defensive in conjunction with fellow Wizards big man Marcin Gortat. It was a formidable frontline.In the two games Washington won in Chicago, Nene averaged 20 points and seven rebounds. With Nene out for final regular-season game against the Bulls in Washington on April 5, Chicago beat Washington 96-78, and Noah had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Trevor Booker had six points and five rebounds, starting in place of Nene.

The joy of being up 2-0 after wins in Chicago disappeared with Chicago's 100-97 Game 3 victory and the Nene suspension.

"It's a very emotional game and tough game," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "But you have to be able to maintain so you don't lose your cool where you get thrown out. That's the main thing you have to learn from this."

Will it be too late for the Wizards to learn from it this season?

Game 4 is Sunday (1 p.m. ET, ABC), and the pressure now shifts to short-handed Washington, and even though the Bulls are trailing 2-1 in the series, they feel good about where they are. They were in both games they lost, went overtime in Game 2, thought a foul could've gone their way and believe they could easily be up 2-1.

They acted that way after Game 3 and have been in enough playoff situations to persevere through difficult stretches.

There is no panic in the Bulls. What about the Wizards, who don't want to go back to Chicago with the series tied at 2-all and the series reduced to a best-of-3 with two games in Chicago?

Nene's absence will impact the interior on both ends. With his size and strength, he was difficult to defend and made it tough on the Bulls' big men. Bulls center Joakim Noah had just six points on Friday, but should have more offensive freedom in Game 4.

Bulls big men Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson also began to exploit Washington's defense in that game. Chicago's frontcourt probably can't wait for Sunday.

"Emotions are riding high," Noah said. "Just got to keep your composure. I'm not the one to talk; I've been in those situations, but it definitely was a bonus for us to have him out the game."

Now, the Bulls don't have to worry about Nene at all for a game.

But that's not the only area of concern for Washington. Bulls guard Mike Dunleavy ran through a series of screens and burned the Wizards with eight three-pointers and a player career-high 35 points on Friday. Washington needs to do a much better job of fighting through multiple screens and meeting Dunleavy at the three-point line before he has too much time to shoot.

"We didn't have that same focus from a defensive know-how," Wittman said.

Booker will start for the Wizards, which alters Washington's rotations and makes them less deep.

In the preseason, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said the team had enough depth, regardless of injuries or absences, to be a playoff team.

Now that they're a playoff team, do the Wizards have enough depth to withstand Nene's absence and win a game with the stakes much higher?