Wizards Surprise Kings

Wizards 114, Kings 108

In a game featuring Washington Wizards power forwards past and present, big man Kwame Brown outdueled Chris Webber to lead Washington to a 114-108 upset of the Western Conference-leading Sacramento Kings last night at MCI Center.

Brown's career scoring (30 points) and rebounding (19) highs, combined with clutch plays by Mitchell Butler, Jerry Stackhouse, Gilbert Arenas and Etan Thomas down the stretch, helped the Wizards snap a season-high seven-game losing streak.

Even in defeat, the Kings (49-19) clinched a playoff spot because Portland and Utah lost last night.

The Wizards (21-46), fresh off a crushing overtime loss to New York, which followed a late-game collapse Saturday to the Boston Celtics, finally kept their composure when it mattered, doing so while staring down one of the NBA's most feared teams.

"It felt good after going out and playing so hard at New York and losing at the end," Brown said. "I had goose bumps when they cut it to two under two minutes, but we were able to pull it out. Mitchell hit a big shot, Stack hit a big shot. It was one concerted effort and we got the win."

Brown, who never came off the floor to become the first player other than Arenas to lead Washington in scoring over the past 12 games, opened with 16 first-quarter points to let Webber know he meant business and, after a scoreless second quarter, dominated the interior in the second half.

Webber, in just his ninth game back after knee surgery and an eight-game suspension for drug and other legal violations, finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 turnovers. He was really no match for Brown, who made 12 of 16 shots and 6 of 7 free throws.

"Webber seemed like he was a little slower than he usually is. I think he's injured," Brown said. "But he's out there on the floor, so I'm going to go at him."

Arenas, meantime, atoned for nine turnovers -- including a crucial giveaway in overtime against the Knicks -- with a career-high eight steals in addition to 27 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 turnovers. Stackhouse, again playing as a reserve, scored 10 of his 21 points in the third quarter, made a three-pointer to stem a 6-2 run Sacramento used to pull to 102-97, then fed Thomas (12 points) for a dunk that put the Wizards up 109-103.

Sacramento had a chance to close the gap to three with 25 seconds left, but Mike Bibby (20 points, five turnovers) missed a three-point shot and Brown grabbed his final rebound and scored his final points on two foul shots to punctuate his big night.

"You've got to have a situation like [Tuesday] night to get better," Stackhouse said about the Wizards' overtime loss to New York. "Being able to have those situations and that was close enough that we could remember some of the things we did wrong and try to correct them. We got into the . . . game and everybody played with confidence and we made plays."

The biggest play in a game filled with plenty was a long jumper from Butler (13 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds) with 1 minute 36 seconds left and the shot clock expiring that gave Washington a 107-103 lead and calmed nerves. Butler, who started his second straight game in place of Juan Dixon (left elbow bursitis), also played solid defense on Peja Stojakovic, who had a team-high 25 points but never had one of the prolonged runs that make him one of the league's top shooters.

"The biggest hat has got to go off to Mitchell," Stackhouse said. "He's the guy who's really stepped up. He's a guy who can really lock into guys defensively. He's a grinding player. He made a big play for us. He gave us everything he had. Kwame, of course, will get a game ball but Mitchell should be in line for one, too."

The Wizards positioned themselves for the victory with an 11-3, third-quarter closing run that left them up 84-75 and swung momentum in their favor against a Sacramento team that lost for the third time in four games.

Wizards Note: Forwards Jarvis Hayes (strained left hamstring) and Christian Laettner (back spasms) did not play.