• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Red-hot Arenas, Wizards face Knicks at home

Jan 17, 2007 - 4:34 PM New York (17-22) at Washington (21-16) 7:00 pm EST

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Often underappreciated, Gilbert Arenas is proving his doubters wrong and having an MVP-caliber season.

Arenas and the Wizards look for their ninth straight home win when they face the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

Second in the league in scoring to Denver's Carmelo Anthony, Arenas is averaging 30.2 points per game and has dazzled opponents with his ability to score off the dribble and nail long-range jumpers.

On Monday, he scored a Verizon Center-record 51 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Wizards to a 114-111 win over Utah. The outburst was his seventh game of 40 or more points this season, including a team-record 60 against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 17.

As Arenas goes, so do the Wizards. Washington is 3-14 when he scores 26 points or fewer.

The Knicks have won four of their last five games, including a 102-97 victory over Sacramento on Monday. Despite being below .500, New York is just one game out of first place in the Atlantic Division.

The teams have split two meetings this season, both at Madison Square Garden.