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Arenas, Wizards aim to snap eight-game home skid vs. Pacers

Nov 14, 2007 - 1:57 PM Indiana (3-4) at Washington (1-5) 7:00 pm EST

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - The Washington Wizards finally have something positive to build on.

Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards will aim for a second straight win when they host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Washington held a team meeting before Sunday's game and recorded a season-high 26 assists in a 101-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Arenas scored 18 points and added six assists, while Caron Butler scored 24 points as the Wizards avoided the first 0-6 start in franchise history.

But while Washington avoided one dubious record, it will now try and avoid losing a franchise-record ninth straight regular-season game here. The Wizards are 0-2 at home, and have not won since beating Philadelphia, 111-108, on March 28.

Part of the reason for the poor start this season is the sub-par play of Arenas, who has been hampered by his surgically repaired knee. He was 5-of-15 from the floor on Sunday, and is shooting just 35 percent (37-for-104) on the season.

In addition to that, Arenas is hitting a staggeringly low 13.9 percent (5-for-36) from the arc.

However, his best game of the season came on opening night against Indiana. The sixth-year guard scored 34 points to go with eight rebounds, and forced overtime with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. However, the Wizards lost that game, 119-110.

Jamaal Tinsley scored 16 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to help the Pacers to the win.

That game was the start of three straight wins, but since then things have been all down hill. Tinsley and Indiana lost their fourth straight, 101-86, to Boston on Tuesday. The sixth-year point guard scored 14 points, but the Pacers were hurt by a season-high 23 turnovers.