The Wizards returned from a four-game swing on the West Coast full of the holiday spirit. In fact, their five starters donated two-thirds of a quarter to the team’s reserves after they were benched, as a unit, by Washington head coach Flip Saunders, four minutes into the third quarter.
But after Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler combined for 22 points during a fourth-quarter comeback, it was the 15,435 at Verizon Center who went home with the gift of a much-needed 105-98 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
All but four of Arenas’s game-high 31 points were scored in the first and fourth quarters. Butler added 14 and Earl Boykins came off the bench to score 18.
After the 76ers (7-21) took their first lead of the game with a 12-5 run immediately after halftime, Saunders substituted his entire starting five. Antawn Jamison (7 points, 5 rebounds) kicked the baseline signboard as he left with his team down, 56-52, and 7 minutes, 58 seconds still left in the third quarter. He could only watch in frustration as the Philadelphia lead grew to 79-72 by the end of the quarter.
The Wizards (9-17) reclaimed the lead for good, 90-88, on Butler’s second field goal of the night.
Following missed critical free throws last week in back-to-back home losses prior to a four-game road trip, Arenas felt that getting away from Verizon Center might be what he needed, that it might allow him to “breathe a little bit.”
It appeared, however, that Washington’s fresh layer of snow must’ve cleared the air, as Arenas hit six of his first eight shots, scoring 15 points as Washington led by as many as 11 in the first quarter.
With DeShawn Stevenson demoted to the bench after six straight starts, Randy Foye returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 8 and the third time this season, scoring all eight of his points in the first half.
Philadelphia was without recently re-acquired guard Allen Iverson, who missed his third straight game with left knee arthritis and a left shoulder bruise.
The Wizards take to the road again Wednesday at Milwaukee.
