Wizards win with balance

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Earlier this season the Washington Wizards struggled every time their best player, Gilbert Arenas, had an off game. Last night, though, Arenas' rare subpar performance did nothing to slow down the team.

Antonio Daniels tied a season high with 15 points, and Jarvis Hayes scored all 10 of his points in the second half as the Wizards knocked off the Chicago Bulls 113-103 at Verizon Center. Arenas scored 20 points but made just five of 16 field goal attempts.

Daniels, who also drew a key charge from Ben Wallace, and Hayes weren't the only contributors to the Wizards' victory. Caron Butler scored a team-high 26 points and had 10 rebounds for his team-leading 14th double-double, Antawn Jamison added 18 points and nine rebounds and DeShawn Stevenson finished with 13 points.

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan considers the Bulls (20-16), who added four-time NBA defensive player of the year Wallace in the offseason, one of the best teams in the East, a message his players apparently received as well.

"It's a big win for us because when we went there earlier this year they handed it to us," Daniels said. "We've made a lot of improvements since we played them last, so I guess you could say that this was a statement game for us."

In a game in which the Bulls erased a 14-point lead in the third quarter, Washington finally got the separation it needed in the fourth.

Up 82-80, the Wizards outscored the Bulls 14-2 over the next 3:14. And of those 14 points, Arenas' only contribution was one 19-foot jumper.

"It shows that this is a good team with a lot of good players," Arenas said. "We've got great chemistry, and it shows. We got good contributions from everyone -- Caron; A.D.; Etan [Thomas] looked good coming back; Antawn."

When the teams met Dec. 2 at United Center, the Wizards were a wreck on the road. Their 112-94 loss was their eighth in as many games away from home, setting a team record for road futility at the start of a season.

In that game, Arenas also struggled, finishing with just 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting.