Blatche, streaking Wizards beat 76ers

Andray Blatche reached his career high at the first-half buzzer, holding both hands aloft long after he swished his baseline 3-pointer.

With Gilbert Arenas sidelined again with a sore knee, Blatche and DeShawn Stevenson more than compensated for Agent Zero's absence.

Blatche scored 26 points, Stevenson had a season-high 19 and the Washington Wizards completed a lose-five, win-five start to the season with a 116-101 rout of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Blatche's previous best over two-plus seasons was 14 points, but he was at 16 after his 3 capped a 14-2 run and gave the Wizards a 60-44 lead at the half.

Blatche went 12-for-14 from the field, had eight rebounds, matched his career high with four assists and flashed a sheepish grin when his accomplishments were touted on the huge scoreboard.

Stevenson, who entered the game shooting 29 percent, finished 7-for-11 from the field. He made three 3-pointers, one fewer than he had previously made all season, including back-to-back 3s in the run at the end of the first half.

Antawn Jamison added 19 points and seven rebounds for the Wizards, who shot 57 percent and had 29 assists, both season highs.

The Wizards, who looked woefully out of sorts after losing their first five, have come back with five straight wins despite Arenas' continuing problems with his sore and swollen left knee. The team announced less than an hour before tip that Arenas would miss a second consecutive game, despite having three days of rest since he last played.

Now it is the 76ers who are reeling. They've lost five of six and are struggling to score. They trailed by 37 points after a 27-6 Wizards run in the third quarter and broke 100 only because the entire fourth quarter was garbage time.

Louis Williams scored a career-high 25 points for the 76ers.

Notes:@ The Wizards have their first five-game winning streak since Dec. 21-29 of last season. ... Washington C Brendan Haywood sprained his left ankle in the third quarter and did not return. ... Philadelphia F Kyle Korver missed his second straight game with a strained groin. ... The Wizards have won four straight against the 76ers.