Wizards spellbind Bulls

Caron Butler added 25 points and four steals for the Wizards, who have won four of their past five games. Antawn Jamison chipped in with 23 points and seven boards while Antonio Daniels had a season-high 21 points in the win.

Ben Gordon paced the Bulls, who lost their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games, with 20 points. Luol Deng recorded 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds while Andres Nocioni also had 18 points in the loss.

After trailing by as many as 27 points and being thoroughly dominated through the first three quarters, the Bulls finally responded and made a run in the early stages of the final frame.

Chris Duhon’s driving lay-in brought Chicago to within seven points, 93-86, with 8:05 remaining.

The Wizards responded with an 11-4 run over the next four minutes to regain control of the game. Arenas capped the burst with a jumper to make the score 104-90 with 4:35 left on the clock.

The Bulls had one last gasp in them, however. Nocioni’s lay-in, with 1:11 remaining, made the score 108-101 but the Wizards had enough to hang on.

Arenas made a running jumper with 48 ticks left and Butler netter a pair from the line 14 seconds later to seal things for Washington.

The Wizards ran out to a 29-19 advantage after the first 12 minutes. Washington doubled that lead by intermission, 60-40.

The Bulls settled down a bit in the third quarter but still found themselves looking up at a 89-72 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

Game Notes

Kirk Hinrich added 17 points for the Bulls while Duhon finished with 11...Etan Thomas also reached double figures for the Wizards with 10 points...The Wizards are 24-12 at home this season...The Bulls are 1-4 in their last five road games and 14-20 away from the United Center this season...Washington has won 10 of the last 12 matchups with the Bulls in DC.