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 Jamison, who sat out two games with a sprained right shoulder, left no doubt that he was again full throttle by making 8 of 17 field goals, grabbing 11 rebounds and ramming home a one-hander over Garnett to cap a 10-0 run that gave the Wizards the lead for good early in the third quarter.
Gilbert Arenas, in his third game back from knee surgery, added 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting in a relatively low-key 24 minutes. Agent Zero's full range of flashy moves has yet to return, and he twice passed up easy fast break layups in the first half to set up teammates.
Caron Butler had 13 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and seven turnovers for the Wizards, who stopped Boston's seven-game winning streak and handed the Celtics' their second-worst loss of the season. Washington took three of four from Boston this season, including back-to-back games in January, and joined Orlando as the only teams to win the season series against the Celtics.
Paul Pierce scored 28 points, and Kevin Garnett had 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Celtics, who had 21 turnovers and have more or less been in exhibition mode since clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. At least this time coach Doc Rivers put his starters back in the game in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, unlike in Tuesday's overtime win at Milwaukee.
The Celtics, who trailed by 15 late in the third quarter, cut the deficit to six three times in the fourth quarter, the last time on Pierce's 3-pointer that made the score 101-95 with 2:27 to play. But Boston didn't score again. The Wizards ended the game with an 8-0 run, including a clinching 3-pointer from DeShawn Stevenson that gave Washington a 12-point lead with 1:29 to go.
The game had an unusual dynamic, given the circumstances of the teams. The Celtics have been operating in cruise control, while the Wizards are trying to catch Cleveland to gain home-court advantage in the first round of the postseason while simultaneously fine-tuning team chemistry now that Arenas has returned from a 66-game absence. Wednesday was only the 10th time that Arenas, Butler and Jamison have played together this season.
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A 16-2 spurt gave Washington a 44-27 lead midway through the second quarter. Arenas was the facilitator, with three consecutive assists. On the first one, he passed up a breakaway layup to feed Butler for a dunk. On the second, he opted again not to take a layup, instead making a backward bounce pass to Andray Blatche to set up a three-point play.
But Boston responded with a 24-6 run capped by a pair of 3-pointers from James Posey and one from Ray Allen. The Celtics trailed 55-53 at halftime.
Jamison scored six points in the 10-0 run early in the second half. Antonio Daniels later had a driving dunk of his own, and Brendan Haywood had a putback dunk as the Wizards built a 15-point lead late in the third quarter.
Notes: Boston F Glen Davis left the game in the first half with a strained right hamstring. G Rajon Rondo left the game in the third quarter due to illness. G Sam Cassell missed his second straight game with back spasms. ... Butler and F Darius Songaila played after bumping knees in Tuesday's practice. X-rays on Butler were negative. ... Celtics coach Doc Rivers on Arenas as a sixth man: "I'd rather have him as the 16th man."
[Associated Press; By JOSEPH WHITE]
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