Gilbert Arenas

Jamison scores 33 points, Arenas adds 30, Wizards top Kings 126 119

Even if Ron Artest hadn't taken himself out of the Kings' lineup with a curious knee problem, Sacramento probably couldn't have stopped the Washington Wizards' latest scoring outburst.

Antawn Jamison had 33 points and 13 rebounds, and Gilbert Arenas scored 30 points in the Wizards' fourth victory in five games, 126-119 over the spiraling Kings on Thursday night.

Caron Butler had 23 points and 10 rebounds for Washington, which overcame a halftime deficit with a spectacular 44-point third quarter.

That's nothing new for the Wizards, who outscored Sacramento 73-60 in the second half while playing only a tight seven-man rotation. Highlighted by Arenas' 60-point performance in an overtime win over the Lakers last weekend, the Wizards have scored at least 106 points in nine consecutive games, winning seven.

Yet Arenas credited their victory to their defence _ which probably would surprise the sellout crowd that watched Washington destroy the Kings with sharp shooting.

``We just couldn't stop anybody in the first half,'' Arenas said. ``We didn't play any defence in that half, and in the second half we did. ... (Sacramento) is a great team, and they are still struggling. We just tried to take advantage of it, and that's what we came in and did.''

Jamison hit four three-pointers and scored 17 points _ most with a defender squarely in his face _ in the third quarter alone as the Wizards made 16 of 22 shots. After Sacramento cut a 17-point deficit to six with eight minutes to play, Jamison and Arenas scored 14 of Washington's 19 points down the stretch.

``Antawn Jamison got hot in the second half, and that was the main difference for us,'' coach Eddie Jordan said. ``If we move the basketball around, we have enough scorers that can balance the court and score. ... It was a very spirited halftime tonight, and we knew that our defence was important going into the third quarter.''

Meanwhile, the Kings didn't have their best defender _ and nobody except Artest seemed to know quite why.

Artest participated in the pregame warmup before deciding he didn't feel strong enough to play _ and then the mercurial forward watched the game from the training room with ice on his knees, rather than joining his team at courtside.

``It happens, (and) I've just got to be able to overcome it,'' said Artest, who also thinks he won't play Friday _ even if the Kings manage to get to snowbound Denver on Friday morning. ``It's not an all-season thing. I guess it's just being older. I've got to take care of my body a little better.''

Artest, who mostly has been a model citizen since joining the Kings in January, hadn't publicly mentioned any previous knee problems. He was on Sacramento's 12-man list of active players before the game _ which means he decided not to play less than 30 minutes before tipoff.

Coach Eric Musselman and Artest's teammates were conspicuously unclear about the reasons for his absence from the lineup, with Musselman referring all questions about his forward's status to a training staff that typically doesn't answer such queries.

``It was surprising to me,'' said Corliss Williamson, who scored 17 points for the Kings. ``Things happen, so you just deal with it. We had a game plan, and when things like that happen at the last minute, you have to adjust everything.''

The Kings lost for the ninth time in 11 games _ including three straight home defeats _ to drop four games below .500. Kevin Martin scored a career-high 40 points for Sacramento, and John Salmons matched his career high with 23 points while filling in for Artest.

Brad Miller had 19 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento, but Mike Bibby had another mediocre game, scoring 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting.

They might not be deep, but the Wizards can score: Arenas and Jamison hit five three-pointers apiece, while Brendan Haywood had 12 points and a season-high 14 rebounds.

Jamison, who had several memorable games against Sacramento during his seasons with the Golden State Warriors, scored 11 straight points during one stretch while the Wizards took the lead in the third quarter.

Notes: Artest missed four games earlier in the season with a sore back. ... Wizards F Darius Songaila, who broke into the NBA with the Kings, is inactive with a herniated disc in his back. ... The Wizards finish up a four-game Western road trip in Phoenix on Friday night. ... The Wizards snapped a nine-year losing streak at Arco Arena with a victory over the Kings last season.

Wizards guard Arenas' 60 point scoring barrage was Kobe esque

On the same court where Kobe Bryant reigns, Gilbert Arenas went on a spectacular scoring spree of his own _ with Bryant futilely trying to guard him.

Putting the ball through the hoop on a dazzling array of drives and jumpers, Arenas scored 60 points, the most in the NBA this season and a Washington Wizards franchise record. Bryant had a mere 45 for the Lakers in the Wizards' 147-141 overtime victory.

``It felt great because all of my friends here are Kobe fans,'' said Arenas, who grew up in the area and attended high school in suburban Van Nuys.

Arenas broke the franchise record of 56 points set by Earl Monroe on Feb. 13, 1968 _ also against the Lakers in overtime _ when the Wizards were the Baltimore Bullets.

He also became a member of an elite club of two: Wilt Chamberlain had been the only player to score 60 or more against the Lakers, a feat he accomplished seven times _ most recently a 65-point effort 40 years ago.

Bryant is one of the NBA's better defensive players. Asked why Arenas was able to rack up so many points Sunday night, Bryant said, ``First of all, he shot 27 free throws. We as a team shot 30. Think about that.''

The Wizards attempted 60 free throws, making 47. The Lakers were 24-of-30 from the line.

``But him individually, it's funny,'' Bryant said. ``He doesn't seem to have much of a conscience. I really don't think he does. Some of the shots he took tonight, you miss those, and they're just terrible shots. Awful.

``You make them and they're unbelievable shots. I don't get a chance to play him much, so I haven't gotten used to that mentality of just chucking it up there. He made some big ones, but I'll be ready next time.''

Bryant was coming off a 53-point outing, and his 81-point game last January ranks second in NBA history _ behind Chamberlain's 100-point performance.

Arenas, who outscored Bryant 16-4 in overtime, went 17-of-32 from the floor, including 5-of-12 from beyond the arc, and made 21-of-27 free throws. He also had eight assists and eight rebounds.

``That's what he does,'' said teammate Caron Butler, a former Laker who scored 27 points. ``He makes big plays and he was incredible. He came back home, played his game and he wasn't forcing anything. He just had a hot hand.''

Bryant had 10 assists and eight rebounds to go with his 45 points. He shot 15-of-24 including 7-of-11 from three-point range.

Arenas, whose previous career high was 47 against Miami last December, wasn't particularly surprised to hit 60. He scored 43 after halftime.

``It was bound to happen,'' he said. ``I'm a scorer, so I was going to have one of those days where I was clicking. Most of the time when I've scored 46 in three quarters, we were blowing the other team out, so I didn't get to play in the fourth.

``But tonight was that time. It was a close game and I stayed in. I found the rhythm, especially in the fourth quarter and in overtime, and I never looked back.''

Lakers coach Phil Jackson was duly impressed.

``He made a lot of different shots, drives, three-pointers,'' Jackson said, ``and still had that energy left to finish that game off.''

Arenas scores franchise record 60 as Wizards beat Lakers 147 141 in overtime

Gilbert Arenas got on quite a roll, putting up the most points in franchise history and more than anybody, except Wilt Chamberlain, has scored against the Lakers.

In a Kobe-like performance, Arenas had 60 points and outscored Los Angeles' Bryant by 15 Sunday night in the Washington Wizards' 147-141 overtime victory.

Arenas had 16 points in the five-minute extra period, including 14 in a row for the Wizards during one stretch.

His scoring total was the most against the Lakers in 40 years.

Chamberlain, who played for the Warriors in Philadelphia and San Francisco and then for the 76ers before joining the Lakers, scored 60 or more points against them multiple times, the last a 65-point outing in 1966.

Arenas went 17-of-32 from the floor, including five-of-12 from three-point range. He made 21 of his 27 free throws and had eight assists and eight rebounds. Forty-three of his points came after halftime.

The previous franchise high was 56 by Earl Monroe on Feb. 13, 1968 _ also against the Lakers in overtime _ when the Wizards were the Baltimore Bullets.

``It was bound to happen,'' Arenas said. ``I'm a scorer, so I was going to have one of those days where I was clicking. Most of the time when I've scored 46 in three quarters, we were blowing the other team out, so I didn't get to play in the fourth.

``But tonight was that time. It was a close game and I stayed in. I found the rhythm, especially in the fourth quarter and in overtime, and I never looked back.''

Arenas' previous high was 47 points, against Miami last Dec. 30.

Asked how the Wizards' guard scored so many, Bryant said, ``First of all, he shot 27 free throws. We as a team shot 30. Think about that.''

Washington shot 60 free throws and made 47.

Bryant added, ``Some of the shots he took tonight, you miss those, they're just terrible shots, just awful. You make them and they're unbelievable shots.''

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Arenas was spectacular.

``He made a lot of different shots, drives, three-pointers, and still had that energy left to finish that game off,'' Jackson said.

Bryant, coming off a 53-point performance his previous game, went 15-of-24 from the floor and eight-of-10 from the line. He made 7-of-11 from beyond the arc, part of the Lakers' franchise-record 44 shots from three-point range. They made 19, including five-of-nine by Vladimir Radmanovic.

Bryant, who scored just four points in overtime, finished with 10 assists and eight rebounds.

Antawn Jamison had 25 points and 13 rebounds for Washington, and Caron Butler scored 27. Radmanovic, starting in place of the injured Lamar Odom, had 27 points, and Luke Walton had 15 points and a career-high 11 assists.

Washington led by as many as 17 early in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers came back to catch them at 126-126 and send the game into overtime.

The victory was the Wizards' fourth in five games against the Lakers, but only their second in the last 14 meetings in Los Angeles. Washington also won for just the third time overall in 11 road games this season, and the Lakers lost at home for only the fourth time in 17 games.

Arenas had 12 points in the third quarter, including a three with 31 seconds left to put Washington ahead 90-80 to start the fourth period.

Washington was up 59-49 at halftime, with Jamison scoring 17 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Arenas also had 17 first-half points.

Bryant, who took only one shot in the first quarter and whose only points came on a pair of free throws, scored 16 in the second quarter.

Arenas scored 12 points on six-of-nine shooting in the first quarter, Jamison had 10 points, and DeShawn Stevenson added four for all the Wizards' points in their 26-20 lead.

Radmanovic had 10 points to help Los Angeles stay close.

Notes: Bryant had scored his season-high 53 points as Los Angeles came from 21 points down to beat Houston in double-overtime on Friday. ... The Wizards' 11-point victory over Miami on Friday had put them at .500 for the first time since they won three of their first six this season. ... Washington was without C Etan Thomas, not on the trip because of a sprained left ankle. Los Angeles F Odom is out for at least a month with a sprained right knee.