Wizards clinch playoff berth

The Washington Wizards still aren’t back to top form with Gilbert Arenas playing his way back into game shape and fellow All-Star Antawn Jamison out with a sprained right shoulder.

But they still brushed aside the Miami Heat to clinch their fourth straight playoff berth with a 109-95 victory at Verizon Center.

The Wizards (39-37) have now posted the second-longest streak of playoff seasons in franchise history. The Wizards’ longest run of consecutive playoff appearances was from 1983 to 1988.

“It is more sweet [this year],” said associate head coach Mike O’Koren, who filled in for coach Eddie Jordan in the postgame news conference. “It started back in training camp the first night, when Etan Thomas was diagnosed with the heart issue, and it just sort of snowballed from there. Gilbert played eight games, we lost five straight to start the season and it looked like we were going nowhere. Gilbert goes out, Caron Butler during the season and to top it off Antawn gets hurt making a tremendous play.

“Put all that together and the fact that we clinched it tonight with a win. You always want help, but we didn’t want it tonight. … It’s very, very special.”

Butler, one of six Wizards players who scored in double digits, had 29 points and five assists, while third-year forward Andray Blatche added 17 points and seven rebounds. Arenas paced the attack with a team-high eight assists to go with 13 points in 21 minutes.

Arenas, in his second game back from knee surgery, entered with 4:04 left in the first quarter with his team down 17-13. The three-time All-Star soon found a rhythm with his teammates, notching assists on three straight trips down the floor to spark his team to a 29-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Arenas, who for a third straight day refused to speak to the media, then started the second quarter and hit a pull-up jumper followed by a deep 3-pointer that gave his team a 34-25 lead 55 seconds into the period.

“Gilbert came in and turned it up another level for us,” Blatche said. “I’m a player that loves to run the floor and Gilbert, he’s an up-tempo player. I just run the lanes, and he makes the short dimes for me.”

Late in the second quarter, Arenas, whose Wizards posted an impressive 20 fast-break points, turned in another highlight-worthy play.

He caught a lob pass with his back to the basket and without turning around, tossed the ball skyward over his shoulder to a soaring Nick Young for another dunk that extended the lead to 53-37.

DeShawn Stevenson, despite suffering a sprained ankle in Wednesday night’s loss to Milwaukee, extended his streak of consecutive games to 244, which is the second-longest among active NBA players. The shooting guard showed no ill effects from the sprain, which kept him out of yesterday morning’s shootaround, however, and knocked down all four of his 3-point attempts in the first quarter.

Washington led 60-44 at halftime after shooting 61.1 percent from the field. They continued to handle their opponents in the second half, leading by as many as 21 points — up 84-63 with 1:39 left in the third quarter.

The Wizards, who travel to take on the Chicago Bulls tonight at 8:30 p.m., could get Jamison back from his one-game layoff, the forward said before the game.

Last night at Verizon Center

SEEN AND HEARD

For the first time this season, the Wizards played without Antawn Jamison, who sprained his right shoulder in the final minute of Wednesday’s loss to the Bucks.

Jamison, who is listed as day-to-day, injured the shoulder when he dived to save a loose ball and ended up crashing into some courtside seats. He received an MRI and X-ray and results game back negative. Jamison wore his arm in a sling later that night and yesterday.

“It’s feeling better,” said Jamison, who is averaging 21.5 points and 10.3 rebounds. “A lot better than the night it happened. If it continues to go the way it’s going, right now it’s day-to-day, then I don’t see myself missing too much action. Hopefully tomorrow … but if it’s not a go tomorrow, definitely Wednesday [at home against Boston].”

BY THE NUMBERS

75Games Jamison had started this season — all of them — before missing last night’s game.