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Jamison, Butler power Wizards past Grizzlies

Jan 26, 2008 - 4:00 AM By Tim Hipps PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

WASHINGTON (Ticker) - Antawn Jamison posted his 25th double-double of the season to lead the Washington Wizards to a 104-93 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

Jamison had 24 points and 12 rebounds while Caron Butler, the other half of the highest-scoring forward tandem in the NBA, had 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Wizards, who rebounded from a 121-85 beat-down in Cleveland on Wednesday night by coasting to a wire-to-wire victory.

"We still need to improve, but I was proud of how we performed after the devastating loss to Cleveland the other night," Jamison said. "We did a good job and prepared and performed well the past couple of days. I liked how the team responded."

All five starters scored in double figures as the Wizards won their fourth game in a row at home.

Brendan Haywood had 15 points and nine rebounds and DeShawn Stevenson added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Antonio Daniels scored 12 points and Roger Mason Jr. added nine points in 18 minutes off the bench.

The Wizards, who led throughout, buried the Grizzlies with a 14-1 run in the fourth quarter, capped by Jamison's two free throws with 5:32 remaining to make it 100-81.

"We bounced back and finished strong and that's why we got the win," Butler said.

Mike Miller led the Grizzlies with 21 points and nine rebounds. Kyle Lowry had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The closest the Grizzlies got in the second half was 86-80 on a technical free throw with 9:51 remaining.

"We played harder and caused them to miss shots, and we ran," Memphis coach Marc Iavaroni said. "We got our game going finally, but it was too late."

The Wizards improved to 19-5 overall and 11-2 at home when they score 100 or more points.

"We are happy about the win, but we are not happy about our play," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "It was a poor performance but we won. We did enough to win, but we have to get better."

Stevenson scored 10 points to lead Washington to a 30-9 lead after one. The Wizards held the Grizzlies to a franchise low for points allowed in a first quarter.

"It seemed like the rim had a lid on it," Lowry said. "Guys got great shots and missed open shots. Juan Carlos (Navarro) missed a couple open shots. Darko (Milicic) missed a layup. It just seemed like shots didn't want to go in for us."

The Grizzlies shot 22 percent (4-of-18) and committed eight turnovers that led to nine Washington points in the period. Nobody scored more than two points in the first for the Grizzlies, who dropped to 1-19 when trailing after one quarter.

"It was a tough one, but it's only 12 minutes," Miller said. "You've just got to play through them. Turnovers is what killed us.

"They came ready to play in the first and we didn't."

Rudy Gay scored all the points in a 6-0 opening run in the second quarter, which was the first-half highlight for the Grizzlies, who lost their season-high sixth consecutive road game.

"Losing is always frustrating, but at the same time we're a young team so we've just got to keep the spirits high," Miller said. "A lot of these guys have a lot of years left. We've got to teach them how to win."

Forward Paul Gasol, the Grizzlies' second-leading scorer, missed the game because of a sore back. Rookie point guard Michael Conley Jr. sustained a right chest contusion in the second half and did not return. He finished with seven points in 15 minutes.

Damon Stoudamire, who is seeking a buyout of his contract, sat out his 13th consecutive game for Memphis.