Arenas scores 36 as Wizards beat Pistons

Gilbert Arenas had 36 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds Tuesday night as the Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons 104-99 in a first-place showdown, a victory tempered by a knee injury to Antawn Jamison.

The win kept the Wizards ahead of the Pistons atop the Eastern Conference and gave the teams a split of the four-game season series, leveling the first tiebreaker should they finish the regular season with the same record. Washington beat Detroit twice in five days, including a 99-96 win on the road Friday.

But the Wizards left the court anxious for news about Jamison, who sprained his left knee after colliding with teammate DeShawn Stevenson under the basket during a fast break with 6:29 to play in the first quarter.

Jamison, who entered the game averaging 19.7 points and 8.1 rebounds, did not return and was to be re-evaluated after the game. Jamison hyperextended the same knee against Boston on Jan. 20, although it was not the same knee that required surgery two years ago. He was given two days off from practice last week to rest the knee and responded with his two best games of the season: 35 points against Detroit and 34 points against Boston on Sunday.

Jamison would be difficult to replace if he's out for any extended period _ he, Arenas and Caron Butler form the NBA's highest-scoring trio at a combined 70 points per game _ but the Wizards persevered without him Tuesday to win for the seventh time in eight games.

Washington shot 61 percent in the first quarter, led by 19 points midway through the second, then held off the Pistons after Detroit pulled within single digits in the fourth. Arenas, who scored 14 points in the final period, converted a three-point play with 1:44 to play to restore a 10-point lead.

The Pistons made one final push, due largely to the Wizards' three missed free throws in the final 30 seconds, but Tayshaun Prince then missed a 3-pointer that would have cut the lead to two.

Stevenson, picking up the slack for Jamison, scored 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Butler finished with 13 points.

Chauncey Billups scored 24 points, Prince had 19 points, and Richard Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace finished with 15 apiece for the Pistons, who ended up outshooting the Wizards (52 percent to 49 percent).