For Wizards, a spoiled celebration

Well, so much for a triumphant return.

Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas ended his 66-game layoff from a Nov. 21 knee surgery and made two foul shots to give his team a one-point lead in the final 15 seconds. But it wasn’t enough to help the Wizards hold off a game-winning charge by the Milwaukee Bucks, and they fell 110-109 last night at Verizon Center.

Until the final 1:17 of the game, the Wizards (38-37) led for all but 23 seconds and appeared on their way to ending a two-game skid and clinching their fourth consecutive playoff berth.

But Washington’s 95-85 advantage with nine minutes left to play wasn’t safe. The Bucks mounted a charge to take a 108-107 lead.

Milwaukee’s Michael Redd missed a 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining, and Caron Butler grabbed the rebound and tossed the ball to Arenas, who brought the ball up court.

Outlet: Sifting through the dust

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Arenas passed to Butler but got the ball back and attempted a 20-footer over Ramon Sessions. The ball bounced on the rim twice and then fell off for a rebound by Milwaukee (26-48).

With 15 seconds left Arenas got to the foul line and made both shots to give his team 109-108 lead. What would have been a fitting ending for the three-time All-Star never materialized.

The Wizards forced a jump ball with 6.4 seconds left, and Butler outleaped Sessions to win the tip and tapped it toward Antawn Jamison along the right sideline. Jamison leaped to save the ball and, before falling into the courtside fans, swatted it ahead to Antonio Daniels, who streaked up the court.

But the ball slipped through Daniels’ hands, and Sessions scooped it up and promptly called a timeout with 1.1 seconds left. Jamison left the game with a sprained right shoulder after his dive.

Coming out of the break, the Bucks’ Royal Ivey inbounded the ball to Andrew Bogut, who caught the ball in midair and zipped it to the perimeter to Sessions.

Sessions, who has spent much of this season in the NBA Development League and had played in just seven games, caught the ball and beat the buzzer with a high-arcing 19-footer over Arenas.

“That’s probably one of the worst ways to lose in this league,” Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said.

Because Toronto lost at Atlanta, the Wizards are in a three-way tie for fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff race with the Raptors and Philadelphia.

Arenas, who hastily left Verizon Center without speaking to reporters, made his return one day shy of a year from the date his 2007 season ended because of a torn lateral meniscus. He had surgery to repair the knee and worked rigorously during the summer to return for this season.

But during his rehabilitation, Arenas tore the medial meniscus in the same knee, and he went under the knife again Nov. 21. Without Arenas, the Wizards posted a 35-31 record.

Arenas tried to return to action March 23 at home against the Detroit Pistons, but the team’s doctors refused to clear him, advising the guard to wait another week.

On Sunday, before the Wizards’ game against the Lakers, Arenas said he still didn’t know when team doctors would clear him to play. But he had received a phone call from the team doctor Saturday afternoon, informing him he could return to action whenever he felt like it.

Arenas maintained the next two days he had received no updates, but then he made his return last night.

Jordan said he was somewhat surprised to learn Arenas would play. He refused to elaborate on how he learned the guard was ready to play.

“I found out,” Jordan said. “He didn’t really tell me, but that’s Gil. I found out. Let’s say it wasn’t the normal proper channels, but I found out.”

Sporting a pair of his red, black and white Hibachi sneakers, Arenas waited until five minutes and 30 seconds remained in the first quarter to emerge from the locker room. Eleven seconds later he checked into the game to a standing ovation and proceeded to make his first four shots.

In 20 minutes Arenas posted 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting and had four turnovers.

Shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson suffered a sprained right ankle late in the fourth quarter. He and Jamison had X-rays after the game, and both came back negative.

Last night at Verizon Center

SEEN AND HEARD

The night got off to an interesting start as Gilbert Arenas sauntered into the locker room grinning and wearing Wizards workout gear. He saluted the group of reporters waiting to have a word with him but quickly waved them off and retreated to the trainers’ room.

Then shortly thereafter, associated head coach Mike O’Koren came out to give the pregame news conference because Wizards coach Eddie Jordan suffered from a severe sinus headache and tried to sleep it off before game time. O’Koren said Jordan has missed a few games in the past from sinus headaches.

Jordan shook off the effects of the headache, and Arenas eventually emerged from the locker room, putting an end to a 66-game layoff after undergoing knee surgery Nov. 21.

BY THE NUMBERS

10 Points scored by Arenas in the final five minutes of the first quarter. The three-time All-Star made his first four shots before missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer.