Wizards' Threesome Does In Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY, March 23 -- On a night when Utah Jazz great Karl Malone had his number hoisted to the rafters and was honored with the unveiling of a statue on the grounds of Delta Center, the Washington Wizards gave a nostalgic crowd plenty of reason to long for the good old days.

The Wizards (35-32) put a dent in Utah's playoff hopes Thursday and kicked off a six-game road trip with a 109-97 victory that kept them in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of the idle Indiana Pacers.

The Wizards set a franchise record with 16 three-pointers, none bigger than the one Gilbert Arenas (game-high 31 points) made with two minutes remaining.

The shot gave the Wizards a 100-93 lead and after a quick basket by Utah's Carlos Boozer, Antonio Daniels sent fans to the exits when he drove baseline and threw down a dunk that put the Wizards back ahead by seven.

"I kept driving to the basket and they kept calling me for traveling so I just said, 'Forget about it, I'll just start taking threes,' " Arenas said. "And they went in. We got hot. Antawn got hot. Caron got hot and I got hot."

Caron Butler, who hit another big three-pointer down the stretch after scoring 15 third-quarter points, added 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting. Antawn Jamison made a career-high seven three-pointers and finished with 27 points as the Wizards bounced back from a dreadful fourth-quarter defensive performance during Tuesday's 12-point home loss to the New Jersey Nets.

Said Butler: "I think this is the first time I've ever won here. This is one of the toughest places to play in the league and with it being Karl Malone's night and everything, it was even harder. We knew we had to come in and play well to win and we did. Now we have to keep it going on this trip."

When the Wizards and Jazz met at Verizon Center on Jan. 9, the Jazz put on an offensive clinic, screening, passing and shooting their way to a 97-89 victory. The Jazz led by as many as 22 that night and withstood a late Wizards charge that dropped Washington to a season-worst six games below the .500 mark.

The difference Thursday? Made shots. "That's what the NBA is about," said Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan. "When you're open, you've got to make shots and that puts pressure on the other team. They also missed some shots they normally make with their eyes closed. Some of it was good defense and some of it was that they just missed shots and free throws."

The Wizards gave Utah a taste of its own medicine while building a 15-point second quarter lead Thursday night. Washington led 32-31 when Daniels sparked a 15-1 run with a pull-up jumper.

Jared Jeffries blocked a Mehmet Okur shot at one end and completed a three-point play on the other, Jamison hit a pair of three-pointers and Arenas drove around rookie Deron Williams and threw down a nasty one-handed dunk over Boozer and Kris Humphries.

The Jazz responded with a 9-0 run of its own but Jamison slowed that momentum when he ended the half by making a running three-pointer from around 35 feet out. The shot just beat the buzzer and gave the Wizards a 50-41 halftime lead.

Jamison made 7 of 12 shots in the half, including 6 of 8 three-pointers, and scored 20 points. The six three-point field goals matched a season and career high for Jamison and matched a franchise record for made threes in a half.

The road trip continues Saturday afternoon against the surprising Clippers.

Wizards Notes: The Wizards now lead the all-time series against the Jazz, 40-39. . . .

Wizards guard Billy Thomas was active for the second consecutive game. Forward Awvee Storey was inactive. . . .

Malone's retired jersey joins John Stockton (12), Pete Maravich (7), Darrell Griffith (35), Mark Eaton (53), Jeff Hornacek (14) and former coach Frank Layden (1).