• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Arenas, Wizards get first road win over struggling Knicks

Dec 7, 2006 - 3:21 AM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Gilbert Arenas treated Madison Square Garden like his home floor.

Arenas scored 38 points and Antawn Jamison added 33 as the Washington Wizards posted a 113-102 victory over the New York Knicks for their first road win of the season.

DeShawn Stevenson added 15 points for the Wizards, who shot 49 percent (41-of-84) from the field, including a blistering 14-of-20 from the arc that torched the Knicks' porous defense.

"We made shots," Arenas said. "We know when our team is shooting like that, even though we're getting outrebounded, it's hard to beat us. We had the stroke going.

"Antawn hit shots, DeShawn hit a wide-open shot. Our outside shot was going. Caron (Butler) started off the game with three in a row, and when you have your jump-shooting team going like that, it's hard to beat a team like that."

Entering Wednesday's contest, Washington was 0-8 on the road, primarily due to Arenas' struggles. The All-Star guard is averaging 33.7 points at home but just 17.6 points on abysmal 28 percent shooting on the road.

Against New York, however, Arenas shot 13-of-24 from the field and 6-of-9 from the arc, showing off a deft touch to go along with mesmerizing drives to the basket.

"I did want to erase my whole performance on the road," Arenas said. "So I was waiting for this night. That means I start my road vengeance."

Jamison made six 3-pointers and was 12-of-18 from the field as Washington averted their first nine-game road losing streak since dropping 11 straight from December 9, 2003-January 24, 2004.

"I can say it was (my best game)," Jamison said. "It has been one of those seasons where I can't get it really going. But this is probably, offensively, one of my best games of the season so far."

"It's a good feeling and something that we have targeted," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "It has been our approach and it has been our attitude, the fact that we need to keep our poise and not get distracted (on the road). We have won four out of five (overall) and that's where we have been. It has been in our head, it has been mental and we are turning the corner."

Washington was sluggish in a 102-82 loss at Madison Square Garden on November 15 but came out ready to play Wednesday, scoring a season-high 66 first-half points.

"From the last time where we here to this time, it was different," Wizards guard Antonio Daniels said. "Our approach to the game was different, everybody's approach to the game was different. It was more of a sense of urgency that started (Tuesday) in practice that we carried over to shootaround and guys were extremely focused coming into (Wednesday)."

Eddy Curry scored 22 points and Stephon Marbury and Quentin Richardson added 16 points apiece for the Knicks, who shot 44 percent (36-of-81) and heard vicious boos in falling to 2-8 at Madison Square Garden.

"I'm very disappointed like (the fans are) disappointed," New York coach Isiah Thomas said. "Sometimes, the team that you're playing against is better than you. They were better than we were.

"First of all, I don't think we're good enough when Washington is playing at this level. I don't think we're a good enough team to beat them without two of our main guys (injured forwards Channing Frye and Jared Jeffries)."