Washington Wizards

Day 27 of Gilbert held hostage … With sentencing put off until late March, the prosecutors got what they needed Friday, insisting Gilbert Arenas plead guilty to a felony rather than a misdemeanor. That must be the difference between getting busted in Washington and the suburbs, as the Cavaliers' Delonte West did. West was charged in Maryland with four misdemeanors for carrying two loaded handguns and a loaded shotgun on his motorcycle, violating concealed-carry laws, as opposed to possessing four unloaded guns that weren't licensed in Washington.

ATLANTA - - Hawks 94, Wizards 82 Washington loses 3rd straight, 7th in 9 Joe Johnson scored 24 points, Jamal Crawford added 22 and the Atlanta Hawks won their third straight game with a sluggish 94-82 victory over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Despite 25 points from Antawn Jamison, the Wizards lost their third straight and seventh in their past nine as the team tries to play through problems related to Gilbert Arenas' suspension. The Hawks, winners of four of five, led by as many as 22 points on Al Horford's free throw late in the second, but Washington came within two when Jamison's turnaround jumper made it 66-64 early in the fourth.

WASHINGTON - - The Detroit Pistons ended a 13-game losing streak, beating the Washington Wizards, 99-90, behind Charlie Villanueva's 23 points and nine rebounds Tuesday night. Richard Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey each scored 19 for the Pistons. A loss to Washington would have tied the longest single-season losing streak in Pistons history. Antawn Jamison led the Wizards (12-24) with 31 points and 10 rebounds. Randy Foye, who took over at point guard when Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitely by the NBA, had 20 points and 10 assists.

Is that all there was? For all the hysteria it provoked, the Gilbert Arenas-Javaris Crittenton incident now looks less like the Gunfight at the NBA Corral than the comic duel in "Love and Death," between Boris Grushenko (Woody Allen) and Count Anton Inbedkov, rivals for the notorious Countess Alexandrovna. Scary as it is to see children play with guns, it doesn't look like the two players drew on each other, as reported only by the New York Post and recycled endlessly.

WASHINGTON - - The Washington Wizards overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit Friday night, beating the first-place Orlando Magic, 104-97, in the team's first game at Verizon Center since Gilbert Arenas' suspension. Antawn Jamison, who took a microphone to address fans before the game, had 28 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wizards. Jamison called the whole situation "very embarrassing" and told the sellout crowd that "being a positive role mode is something we don't take lightly."

CLEVELAND - - LeBron James piled up 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in just three quarters and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 121-98 win over the Washington Wizards, who watched troubled guard Gilbert Arenas leave them indefinitely on Wednesday. Shaquille O'Neal added 17 points in 17 minutes as the Cavs posted a season high for points and won for the 13th time in 15 games. The Wizards played for the first time this season without Arenas, who was suspended indefinitely without pay a few hours before the opening tip by NBA commissioner David Stern.

PHILADELPHIA - - Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas has no concerns about possible legal action brought against him because law enforcement officials "already know the truth." He's not as confident he can escape punishment from NBA commissioner David Stern. Arenas said Tuesday that he'll likely have to meet with Stern to explain why he had guns at Verizon Center last month. Arenas has yet to be contacted by league officials for his role in what he says is nothing more than a joke gone awry.

MINNEAPOLIS - - Gilbert Arenas had 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, but the Washington Wizards fell short as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat up on some old friends, 101-89, for their first back-to-back wins of the season. Corey Brewer scored 23 of his career-high 27 points in the second half to lead the Timberwolves. Kevin Love added 17 points and 10 rebounds against a Wizards team that has seven coaches and players who have significant ties to the Timberwolves organization.

WASHINGTON - -Rajon Rondo's driving dunk with a minute remaining broke a tie and led the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics to their ninth straight victory, 104-102, over the Washington Wizards on Thursday night. Rondo had 21 points and 11 assists, and Ray Allen had 18 points and became the 32nd NBA player to score 20,000. Kevin Garnett had 17 points, and Kendrick Perkins added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Gilbert Arenas led Washington with 25 points but missed a pair of free throws with 26.7 seconds to play.