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Arenas's Hollywood Night
Gilbert Arenas takes a well-deserved bow at center court after smoking the Lakers for a team record 60 points Sunday night. Arenas, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, played in front of a large contingent of family and friends.
(AP)
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When a few Wizards sat around the locker room holding an informal discussion earlier this season, Arenas ranked Bryant as the best player in the league.
The two had no communication during Sunday's game.
"I'm not a trash talker and he really doesn't talk trash," Arenas said. "He just goes out there and plays. A guy who comes off an injury and to do what he does, it's unbelievable."
The irony of Bryant complaining about the way the game was officiated was not lost on the Wizards. On one key fourth-quarter possession, for instance, Bryant drove around Antawn Jamison for a score. Although it appeared that Jamison hadn't touched Bryant, a foul was called and the Lakers drew within two points with 24 seconds remaining when Bryant completed the three-point play.
Arenas understood that to get a favorable call against Bryant in Bryant's building, the foul would have to be obvious. So he drove the lane with the determination of a running back hitting a hole in football.
"I knew he was going to take the challenge of stopping me," Arenas said. "That's what kind of player he is no matter whether he has four fouls or five fouls. He knew they weren't going to foul him out of the game and I knew they weren't going to foul him out of the game so I kept attacking."
Arenas kept attacking until he had shoved franchise greats like Earl Monroe (56 points), Phil Chenier (53 points), Bernard King (52 points) and Michael Jordan (51 points) down a notch in Washington's record book.
"Truthfully, it was bound to happen," said Arenas, whose previous single-game high was 47 points in a loss to Miami last season. "I'm a scorer and I knew I was going to have one of those days where I was clicking. There's been times when I have scored 46 through three [quarters], but we're blowing a team out and I don't get to play. Today was that time where it was a close game and I stayed in.
"It's a Christmas present to myself."
