Gilbert Arenas had just scorched LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for a season-high 45 points at Verizon Center when someone asked whether the Cavaliers’ defensive stopper, Larry Hughes, might have been able to slow him down.
“I don’t think Larry could have stopped that, either,” Arenas said jokingly of Hughes, who missed the game because of an ankle injury. “He could have tried, but I don’t think he could have stopped that one.”
Only one thing, in fact, has been able to hold the Washington Wizards star in check this season: the road.
At Verizon Center, Arenas has been virtually unguardable.
Arenas averaged 36.6 points in the five games the Wizards have played at home this season. He is shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and an astounding 51.1 percent from 3-point range.
The Wizards, predictably, fared well in those games, posting a 4-1 record.
The victory over the Cavaliers on Saturday at Verizon Center was vintage Arenas. He made 14 of 22 attempts from the floor, including seven of 11 from 3-point range. He also converted 10 of 12 free throw attempts. The result was a 111-99 victory.
The story is far different on the road.
Arenas averaged 18.3 points a game in those contests, making just 28.2 percent of his field goal attempts and an even-worse 16.6 percent of his 3-point attempts.
The results, again, are predictable: The Wizards are winless in four games away from Verizon Center.
The Wizards’ success is tied to the performance of Arenas more than that of any other player. The team feeds off his energy and thrives when he plays well.
If he is on, the Wizards can win any game. When he’s off, they struggle.
Coach Eddie Jordan believes the answer to what ails Arenas away from home rests with the player.
“I think it’s just about Gil. He has to keep his head clear, mix it up and be patient,” Jordan said. “That’s all it is.”
The problem applies to the rest of the team, as well. The Wizards averaged 112.2 points a game in their five games (including four victories) at home and just 92.5 in their four losses on the road.
However, despite the huge drop-off in scoring, the Wizards still have been competitive away from Verizon Center. Three of their four losses came by nine points or less, including two by three points. The lone blowout came against the Knicks, a 102-82 loss in New York. Hughes helped hold Arenas to seven points on 2-for-12 shooting in a season-opening loss to the Cavaliers in Cleveland.
The Wizards haven’t started a season 0-5 on the road since the 1986-87 Bullets began 0-7 away from home. That team, however, rebounded to win 42 regular season games and reached the playoffs.
Arenas and the Wizards will try again to pick up their first road win against the Mavericks tonight in Dallas, where they have lost four consecutive games and last won Dec. 8, 2001. Overall, the Wizards have lost five straight to the Mavericks, last winning on Nov. 5, 2003, at MCI Center in a game in which Arenas notched the first of his three career triple-doubles.
The Wizards then play two more on the road, the second game of a back-to-back against the Rockets in Houston on Wednesday and, after taking Thanksgiving Day off, a Friday night game against the Grizzlies in Memphis.
“This is another opportunity for us to stop the bleeding and start getting some wins on the road also,” forward Antawn Jamison said.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.