Arenas Sits; Wizards Roll
Injured Guard Misses Second Straight Game, and His Return Is Uncertain : Wizards 116, 76ers 101

By Ivan Carter
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 21, 2007

The Washington Wizards cruised to a 116-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Verizon Center last night without the services of three-time all-star guard Gilbert Arenas, who missed his second straight game with soreness in his left knee.

The Wizards (5-5) will be without Arenas again tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats, and Arenas, who did not join the team for last night's flight to Charlotte, is considering sitting out several games in order to give his surgically repaired knee a chance to regain strength.

"I hope so," said Arenas, who last played during Friday's win at Minnesota. "As long as we can win, I'll rest."

The good news is that the Wizards can look at last night's blowout and Saturday's comfortable 109-90 win over Portland for examples of how to play without Arenas.

Andray Blatche (26 points on 12-of-14 shooting with eight rebounds), DeShawn Stevenson (19 points) and Antonio Daniels (15 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds) each posted season highs in scoring as the Wizards shot a season-best 57.3 percent while totaling a season-high 29 assists.

"It's tough playing without Gil, especially for me because he looks for me a lot, and he's just a talented player out there," said Stevenson, who bounced back from a scoreless effort in Saturday's win over Portland to make a season-high three three-pointers. "He makes things happen but when he's out, we play harder. We share the ball and everyone puts it on their shoulders to get the win without him."

After tonight's game at Charlotte, the team will take tomorrow off for Thanksgiving and then host Golden State on Friday night before starting a four-game road trip at Memphis on Saturday night.

After an 0-5 start, the Wizards have matched last season's longest winning streak by taking five straight. However, those wins have come against teams with a combined record of 15-35.

Neither Arenas nor the team has publicly speculated that he has suffered a setback. An MRI exam he took last Monday revealed no further damage to the knee, but a source close to Arenas said he did not feel right after Friday's win at Minnesota.

The source also said that Arenas has been more cautious in caring for the knee since New Jersey Nets guard Jason Kidd advised him to do so after a game on Nov. 8.

"We'll probably target Friday as something possible," Coach Eddie Jordan said before the game. "It's going to be the way he feels and I've said it all along: It's about the recommendation of the doctors and the way he feels. Sometimes with professional athletes, they'll try to push it and the doctor will say it's iffy. In this case, it's a mutual agreement."

In terms of what took place on the court, last night's only downer came when center Brendan Haywood limped off the court late in the third quarter with a left ankle sprain. Haywood, who is off to the best start of his seven-year career, did not return but underwent treatment last night and said he will be a game-time decision tonight.

Blatche, whose 26 points also established a career-high, injected a dose of energy when he entered the game midway through the first quarter and sparked a 10-2 second-quarter run with an impressive spin move and dunk over 76ers center Jason Smith.

After a brief lull, the Wizards commenced with their crisp play and built a 57-42 lead on consecutive three-pointers by Stevenson. Blatche pushed the lead to 60-44 when he took a feed from Daniels and beat the first-half buzzer with a three-pointer from the corner.

The Wizards opened the second half with 19-5 run that Antawn Jamison capped by making a three-pointer off a pass from Butler, and Philadelphia never threatened again.

"The camaraderie factor is simply huge for us since Minnesota," Jordan said. "We're supporting each other, we're protecting each other, we're sharing the ball and we're helping teammates before we help ourselves. That's the true indication of good basketball. But, that being said, we still miss Gil a great deal."