Wizards Bring It Home

For the second straight game, Gilbert Arenas proved that he doesn't have to do all the scoring for the Washington Wizards to win.

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When the Wizards needed two points in the late stages of last night's 103-90 victory over the Indiana Pacers, the player best known for scoring binges and catchy nicknames didn't attempt to answer with a three-point bomb or a wild drive to the basket.

Instead, Arenas penetrated the Pacers' defense and passed the ball to open teammate Darius Songaila. Songaila made a 17-foot jump shot that restored order for the Wizards, who have won two straight games following an 0-5 start.

In 36 high-energy minutes, Arenas was more John Stockton than Agent Zero, as he distributed a season-high 11 assists. The points were there, too, as he scored 30 on 9-of-18 shooting. He also made 9 of 11 free throw attempts and grabbed six rebounds.

The victory snapped a 10-game home losing streak for the Wizards and avenged a season-opening loss at Indiana. Arenas, who still is recovering from offseason knee surgery, appears to have embraced a new role.

"Guys were making shots tonight," said Arenas, who tied his previous high in assists with six during Sunday's win at Atlanta. "Darius was making shots. Brendan [Haywood] was great again. Andray [Blatche] did well. Caron [Butler] is playing great basketball right now.

"That's what a team is. . . . When we're playing like that, I can pick my spots."

The Wizards shot a season-high 48.6 percent, held the Pacers (3-5) to 39.3 percent shooting and received contributions from several sources.

Butler was dominant early as he scored 14 of his 25 points and grabbed five of his seven rebounds in the first quarter, when the Wizards built leads of 12-4, 20-9 and 28-15.

Coach Eddie Jordan then altered the game's flow at the start of the second quarter, when he used a large lineup that moved Butler to guard and had the 6-foot-9 Songaila, the 6-11 Blatche and the 7-foot Haywood on the court together.

The larger lineup appeared to shrink the court for the Pacers, and the Wizards maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second quarter. Jordan again went to a big lineup in the fourth quarter, this one featuring 6-9 Antawn Jamison at small forward, and the Wizards experienced similar success.

For the second straight game, Jordan tightened his rotation as rookies Nick Young and Dominic McGuire did not get off the bench while reserve guard Roger Mason Jr. played just more than four minutes.

"It's going to be something we have to do to keep our best players on the floor," Jordan said. "If we were 10 games over .500, maybe we could keep Caron at forward and play the young guys at guard, but we don't have that luxury. . . . We have that sense of urgency of keeping our best players on the floor and maxing out those times."

The Wizards also received another strong effort from Haywood, who finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Haywood posted just seven double-doubles all of last season, but this season has been playing with a high level of energy and focus.

Haywood helped put away the game when he followed Songaila's jump shot by making a pair of free throws, giving the Wizards an 11-point lead with 3 minutes 13 seconds to play. Arenas drew a foul on the next possession and made the first of two free throw attempts, but the rebound on the second spit back out to him, and he made his third three-pointer of the night.

"He's always seemed the same to me," Indiana Coach Jim O'Brien said of Arenas. "I wouldn't even know, based on the two times that I've seen so far this year, that he's had knee problems with his knee. He always looks like Gilbert Arenas to me, which is pretty darn good."

Wizards Notes: The teams meet twice more this season, Dec. 22 at Indiana and April 14 at Verizon Center. . . . The Wizards play at Minnesota on Friday night and return home to face Portland on Saturday.