Wizards continue domination of Bobcats

Arenas finished 11-of-20 shooting and converted on 9-of-12 free throws while Caron Butler scored 24 points with seven rebounds and six helpers.

Antawn Jamison donated 22 points and pulled down eight boards for the Wizards, who are 8-1 all-time against the Bobcats. DeShawn Stevenson added 11 points and Etan Thomas had 10.

Washington shot a sizzling 54.8 percent from the floor.

Adam Morrison led Charlotte with 23 points on 10-of-18 from the field and Brevin Knight scored 22 with nine assists for the Bobcats, who have dropped two in a row. Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor, who grabbed 13 rebounds, each contributed 12 points.

With the game tied, 63-63 at halftime, Washington put the game away with a 36- point third quarter en route to its second straight win.

An 11-3 spurt to open the frame put the Wizards up by eight. Then, after Charlotte cut it to 74-72 on a pair of Okafor free throws, Washington took control of the game with a 12-2 burst and a 12-point lead — its largest of the game — with 4 1/2 minutes left. Arenas and Butler each scored four points during the game-changing run.

Donell Taylor’s dunk as time expired gave Washington a 99-88 advantage after three.

From that point forward, the Wizards cruised to victory as the Bobcats never recovered and failed to mount any offensive threat in the fourth, trailing by as many as 17 midway through the frame.

Arenas broke a 25-25 tie late in the first quarter with a pair of hits from the charity stripe and a fadeaway jumper. Butler followed with a reverse layup to give Washington a six-point lead with 1:51 left, but jump shots by Wallace and Morrison, who also converted on a free throw, cut Charlotte’s deficit to 31-30 after 12 minutes of play.

Arenas’ two jumpers gave the Wizards a four-point edge with 1:14 remaining in the second. The Bobcats, though, knotted the game at 63 when Morrison drilled a turnaround and running jump shot.

Morrison finished the half with 14 points while Butler netted 17.

Game Notes

Charlotte finished 52.5 percent shooting and was 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) from three-point range...Washington shot 46.2 percent from beyond the arc...Charlotte’s Sean May had nine points and seven rebounds...Brendan Haywood netted eight points and five boards for the Wizards...Washington travels to Chicago on Saturday while Charlotte hosts Detroit on Sunday...Attendance was 18,853.