Washington Wizards leading scorer Jerry Stackhouse, who has missed the past four games with a pulled left groin, caught a red-eye flight back to Washington tonight to undergo an MRI exam.

Stackhouse had hoped to play in Friday's game against the Utah Jazz, the last of Washington's three-game Western swing, but decided today he would rather get full clearance from team doctor Steve Haas instead of risking further damage.

Stackhouse (22.5 points per game) said he expects to play Monday when the Wizards face the Toronto Raptors at MCI Center. Bryon Russell, who played nine seasons for the Jazz, will start for Stackhouse in his first trip back to Utah since signing a free agent deal with Washington last summer.