Lakers visit Arenas, Wizards

This is the second and final meeting of the season between the squads. On December 17th, All-Star Gilbert Arenas scorched the Lakers for 60 points, a franchise-record, and scored 16 of Washington’s 21 points in overtime as the Wizards outlasted the Lakers, 147-141, at the Staples Center.

The Lakers have lost two straight and three of their last four at Washington. The Wizards have won two in a row in the series.

LA is 1-2 on the swing. On Friday, Jermaine O’Neal scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Indiana Pacers over the Lakers, 95-84, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Kobe Bryant had 22 points to lead the Lakers, while Smush Parker added 20 points for Los Angeles, which scored just 14 points in the fourth quarter on its way to its fourth loss in five outings.

The Lakers are 9-13 on the road this season. They will also visit Atlanta, Detroit, Toronto and Cleveland on the current trip.

Washington plays the opener of a four-game homestand. On Wednesday, Chris Bosh finished with 34 points as the Raptors picked up a 119-109 victory over the Wizards at the Air Canada Centre.

Arenas scored 27 points in the loss to Toronto for the Wizards, who had a three-game winning streak halted. Caron Butler, who will play in his first NBA All-Star Game as he earned a spot as a reserve on the Eastern Conference roster for this year’s mid-season classic, posted 21 points and seven rebounds.

On the injury front for Washington, forward Antawn Jamison (sprained left knee) was injured during Tuesday’s 104-99 victory over Detroit and is expected to miss three-to-six weeks. Jamison is averaging 19.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season.

The Wizards are an impressive 18-4 at home this season. They will also host the SuperSonics, Spurs and Trail Blazers on the homestand.